It is a great thing to be generous in giving, but it is a heroic task to withhold your gifts so you can give others what is truly better! – Jocelyn Soriano
It is never easy to withhold ourselves from giving our loved ones what they want. If we could only afford it, we’d give them all we possibly could and never deprive them of anything they could ever ask.
What father could say no to his son if he asks him for a toy he wants? Or what mother could bear the tears of her daughter if she asks to eat her favorite snack?
Even with other people we barely know, we find it hard to refuse anyone who comes to us who are in desperate need for something. Our natural love for others prompt us to be of help whenever we can and to immediately help those who are in pain.
Sometimes though, what could really help other people are not the things we could give them. In fact, some gifts could even make their situation worse!
What can help others at times is an opportunity to learn and to help themselves, a chance to be strong, a season to discover what they really need to be happy.
A good father or mother must never give in to the cries of a child if the child asks for anything that could harm him!
We must have the wisdom to know when it is wise to give and when it is better to wait and to leave things in the hand of God. By doing so, we are able to give others not just what they want but what they really need, we are able to give far better and lasting gifts!
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.” – James 1:17, WEB
The thing about hope is that it’s a positive force that shines the most when it’s dark. When everything’s going well, we hardly notice it’s there. But when things go against us, when our dreams fade and when we see no immediate reprieve from our troubles, that’s when hope does its best work for us.
"Where Hope Can Be Found"