Common vision today is to view children as growing up in a world where parents are ever competing to BEST their child. If the little one down the street has a peck of anything, then your child needs a bushel of it. After all, doesn’t a parent need to give their child the BEST, and isn’t BEST synonymous with most? Unfortunately, this is how today’s worldly think. However, God does not call parents to BEST their children. He calls them to BLESS their children. Tragedy is in the pursuit to BEST a child, there is failure to BLESS a child.
BEST is composed of the material — toys, clothes, electronics, sports equipment, dancing shoes, cars (from infant push cars to teenage full size hot wheels) etc.. BLESS is created from the inner fibers of God’s Word, forgiveness, grace and gifting. BEST is calculated on a scale with increments. BLESS can only be measured by the weight God’s teachings carry in your heart and soul.
Some parents will even go in debt to give the BEST, whereas indebtedness to God for the unbuyable gifts of life funds a mommy’s and daddy’s ability to BLESS.
To BEST is to quantitively out do all others. To BLESS is to sow seeds of wisdom and appreciation, even when little is all that is had.
To BEST is to push a child toward the top so they feel like a star. To BLESS is to love, comfort and inspire a young heart and soul to pick themselves up and keep climbing to the heavens when they feel down and defeated.
To BEST is encouraging a youngster to feel he/she is superior and others inferior. To BLESS is instilling within a child humility and knowing each and every child is the apple of God’s eye.
The world, indeed, is on track to BEST. None the less, an unheralded number of God’s parents travel the path to BLESS. For those of you who have lost faith in today’s parents, I challenge you to stand in a corner of a church building. Watch parents who have chosen to BLESS their children. The numbers might astound you. While Malls furnish the ability to BEST. Sunday School and Sunday Service is where parents learn to BLESS. Matter of fact speaking, God’s fold of parents who are flocking to churches for guidance, encouragement and stamina to BLESS (not BEST) are masses not minuses.
There is hope for the future, and it is more than time that we all take our focus off of those who BEST. Rather, we are called to see and stand behind those striving to BLESS. Who knows, by doing so we might be giving ourselves a strong dose of antidote for seeing only the failings of the world, as well as administering a shot of Christian support to Godly parents who solely and “soul”y are seeking to BLESS their children. “Whoever brings blessings will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” Proverbs 11:25 (ESV)
Uplifted in a Broken Down World 