A Priceless Gift!

I want to encourage you this month as you shop for gifts for those you love. There are so many options in the stores of toys and books and clothes and the list goes on! However, many of those options are not the best for your family. The shelves are filled with the latest fads and pop stars, begging you to be a part of the craze and buy them.
Let me remind you, though, that this world does not love Christ. In fact, it rejects Him in just about every aspect of life. When society embraces a fad or pop star or music or story, you better watch out! A good rule of thumb, I try to go by, is if there is a show or book series or toy, etc, that is the latest craze, or that "everybody is talking about", stay away from it....Society does NOT gravitate toward what is good, it gravitates toward what is as close to the limit as possible! So be careful! Don't succumb to these fads and allow your children to "taste" of them, just because everyone else is allowing their children to do so. Many times I hear parents say "but I need to let my kids experience some of these things, so when they get into the 'real world' they will "fit in". And so, they allow their children to dabble in things that are not wholesome and innocent and productive, for the sake of being "socialized". This may sound elementary to some of you, but I am constantly amazed at how many Christian parents do this very thing!
So what if you're little girl is the only one without a Hannah Montana t-shirt! You should be more concerned with raising a godly young lady, than being sure she is not labeled as "weird". As parents, it is NOT our job to be sure they taste all the little bits of the "world" that they are 'supposed' to! NO! God says to be SEPARATE from the world... to be UNSPOTTED. It is your responsibility as parents to shield them from these influences in the world.
So, I say all these things to encourage you this year, as you wrap up buying gifts for your family, to be sure the presents you are giving them are innocent in nature. There is a massive push these days to expose children to so much more than they need to know, to make them dress more provocative, etc,etc....they want to rob them of the innocence of childhood. Protect your kids this Christmas season. Keep them unspotted from the world. You are not robbing them of the latest fashion, you are giving them a gift that will last for eternity!

~Kari Boyer