One of the most dangerous things we can do as parents or guardians is to give our children hope, and then to crush that hope. Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." So we must ask the question of what is hope deferred? I will give some simple things that we do as parents or guardians by offering hope and then crushing the hope that we have provided. We tell our children we are going fishing this weekend. However, later, we receive an invite to a party with a friend. We have already given our children hope for a fishing trip, yet, we decide to go to the party instead. Allow me to offer another example. We have promised him or her a specific gift for their birthday, and we never intend to get him or her that gift for their birthday. So this is what the Proverb is saying when someone gives a person hope and then takes back the hope that they have given them.
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October 2019
CategoriesAuthorChance Nail is the Founder and Executive Director of the Bedford Boy's Home. |