One of the funniest advertisements that I don’t see as much on television any more is the Publishers Clearing House commercials. The company representative would show up randomly at the winners door early in the morning, while some of them were still in pajamas. When the winner opened the door, they were presented with balloons and candy as well as a big fat check. The recipient would yell and sometimes cry while saying, “I can’t believe I won! The purpose of that commercial was to get us the viewer to enter the sweepstakes so that we too could be randomly picked out of thousands of people as the next winner of the contest.
The term “free gift” can frequently bring about skepticism in our society where people seem to have a self serving angle to their marketing plan. We are conditioned to ask the question, “what do I have to do to get this gift?” Another follow up question may be, “what did I do to deserve the gift?’ We tend to think about gifts from a place of merit versus simple thoughtfulness or perhaps loving kindness.
September marks a time when parents are more intentional about beginning a new year with new routines as the school year begins. The disappointments and failures of the previous year are put aside and the iconic new clothes and school books represent fresh hopes and dreams for the coming school year. The activities and behaviors that were a part of the summer vacation like play time, sleeping in later, and yes fighting with siblings are being exchanged for a new world order. At least that’ the plan.
TAILOR MADE
As the Fall season begins – I have a word for the summer weary parent: You are loved, you are chosen! God the Father trusts you and has given you these precious children as a gift. A gift tailor made just for you. He trusts you to depend on Him for wisdom and creativity to facilitate your children into their personal best for the coming year. Don’t try to go it alone. Apart from him we can do nothing.
It is my goal over the next few months to post creative ways for you to encourage your children and help them to be all that God created them to be, and maintain personal sanity in the process.
In the meantime…pull out the party balloons and greet your children in the morning and let them know that they are worth celebrating.
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him. ”
