Live Simply
I recieved an email from my aunt last night. And it made me think twice. Everybody wants to be rich and successful but some families miss what's really important--being there for your kids. Read on:
Inspire Your Kids to Live Simply
by Bo Sanchez
Parents complain to me, "My kids are so materialistic!".
This is my answer. If you see your kids splurge on designer clothes, you can't complain if your closet is filled with these too. You've got to show the way.
Second, not only should you live simply, you should ENJOY living simply. And when kids ask for expensive toys, expensive clothes, don't answer,
"We can't afford it". That's a clear message that says, "We live a deprived life...boo-hoo-hoo."
You have to clearly explain to them that living simply is a deliberate choice. Set them before you and say, "Daddy and Mommy can buy that toy for you, but if we do, we'll have to work harder to earn money. Perhaps we won't come home for dinner and have to be away for the weekends. Do you want Daddy and Mommy to be away from you - or do you want them to always be here beside you?"
Don't expect it to sink in right away. Let them see you enjoy the simple things of life - not just those with a high price tag. In the end, a simple lifestyle is caught more than taught. .....a group of little boys has this conversation in a park....
Child A: "My daddy/mommy is a doctor and he/she makes a lot of money and we have swimming pool"
Child B: "My daddy/mommy is a lawyer and he/she flies to Washington and talks to the president"
Child C: "My daddy/mommy owns a company and we have our own airplane"
Child D: "My daddy/mommy is HERE WITH ME!"
When God brings you to a financial desert, He's teaching you the most important lessons in life. Because the desert is God's university.
I know some parents who as kids were raised in poverty, but through struggle and faith, they've now left the financial desert.
But here's the tragedy: Because they now have the ability to give a comfortable life to their children, they give too much of it.
If you're one of these parents, let me speak frankly to you. By giving everything that your children ask - you rob them of the very thing that
made you strong: the desert, the place where you struggled and built your character and made you who you are. Don't give them everything they ask for.
Let them have the desert experience.
