My blog

Tag: children

  • Promises…Promises…

    And the king took an oath and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so I certainly will do this day.” 1 Kings 1:29-30

    This verse introduces a solemn oath. David would confirm the previous promise he made to Bathsheba, that her son Solomon would become the next king, and he promised to settle the issue that very day. He would abdicate the throne and give the crown to Solomon and crushed the plans of his other son.

    David shows us he made the promise before God and he would keep his promise.

    This verse calls to mind that when we make a promise, we must keep it.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a small promise to go to lunch with a friend or if you’ve promised to take care of a task for a sibling or parent or if you have pledged a possession.  It doesn’t matter.  When a person breaks a promise, it’s hard to trust that person again.

    And it’s especially hard when we give promises to our small children and break them.  Children depend on their parents and guardians to tell the truth and not break a promise, no matter how insignificant that promise may be. Our children are our greatest resource.  We must treat them with kindness and care where our promises are concerned.

    David was the King, a leader.  It calls to mind our leaders today.  They rarely keep their promises and wonder why their constituents don’t trust them.  In today’s world, it’s all right to break a promise if it furthers that leader’s career goals.

    Same in the business world.  If you promise your client you will call him on a specific date..  Call.  Keep your promise.

    Have you ever made a promise you reneged on?  I have and this verse convicted my heart.  The easiest thing to do is to NOT promise unless you are certain you can keep the promise.  So the wisest thing to do is say, upfront, what the expectations are.

    Many business people use the vernacular:  Under-promise and over-deliver.  A great way to do business. I wish everyone lived by that philosophy, don’t you?

     

  • Children & Sports

    I saw this on my Facebook page and thought every parent should read it.  It’s very true.

    My children were involved in gymnastics and dance at very young ages and stuck through the gymnastics until High School and both danced until they graduated High School.

    Today they are successful young women who set goals and achieve them.

    The author is unknown and if you are the author, I salute you and your words of wisdom.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    One of my friends asked, “Why do you pay so much money for your kids to do all their sports”? Well, I have a confession to make; I don’t pay for my kids to do sports. Personally, I couldn’t care less about what sport they do.

    So, if I am not paying for sports what am I paying for?
    – I pay for those moments when my kids become so tired they want to quit but don’t.
    – I pay for those days when my kids come home from school and are “too tired” to go to their training but they go anyway.
    – I pay for my kids to learn to be disciplined, focused and dedicated.
    – I pay for my kids to learn to take care of their bodies and equipment.
    – I pay for my kids to learn to work with others and to be good team mates, gracious in defeat and humble in success.
    – I pay for my kids to learn to deal with disappointment when they don’t get that placing or title they’d hoped for, but still, they go back week after week giving it their best shot.
    – I pay for my kids to learn to make and accomplish goals.
    – I pay for my kids to respect, not only themselves but other athletes, officials, and coaches.
    – I pay for my kids to learn that it takes hours and hours, years and years of hard work and practice to create a champion and that success does not happen overnight.
    – I pay for my kids to be proud of small achievements, and to work towards long-term goals.
    – I pay for the opportunity my kids have and will have to make life-long friendships, create lifelong memories, to be as proud of their achievements as I am.
    – I pay so that my kids can be out on the field or in the gym instead of in front of a screen…
    …I could go on but, to be short, I don’t pay for sports; I pay for the opportunities that sports provides my kids with to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen so far I think it is a great investment!
    ~Unknown