PUT SARCASM ASIDE

From TODAY, Voices

Monday December 1, 2008

 

By Dr James Dobson

 

Most parents wouldn’t put up with sarcasm from their kids. But do we hold ourselves to the same standard?

 

A sarcastic sense of humour may seem funny to many adults, but kids aren’t always able to distinguish a joke from an insult. Parents who tease their kids could be doing irreparable harm – often without realising it.

 

Imagine a boy coming home with a report card of straight As. One father may say, “Great job, Jim. You’re a bright boy.” And the words would make a lasting impact on his son.

 

But another father may try to be funny, and say something like: “Wow, Jim, you’re not as dumb as I thought.” He knows it’s a joke, and so does his son, but does he really see it as a compliment?

 

Sarcasm may have its place, but not in the home.

 

The world is tough enough. What kids need is a place where they’re praised and accepted – all joking aside.

 

DARK LETTER: Letter from the Devil

PAY ATTENTION TO THE P.S. at the end.

This can really make you think. It actually made me really mad while I was reading it, but it made me realize some things. Plus, I had to send it because of the P.S. This is deep... and I wasn't going to forward or share it, but that last line... you'll see.

 

 

A LETTER TO YOU FROM SATAN

I saw you yesterday as you began your daily chores.

You awoke without kneeling to pray. As a matter of fact, you didn't even bless your meals, or pray before going to bed last night.

You are so unthankful, I like that about you.

I cannot tell you how glad I am that you have not changed your way of living, Fool, you are mine.

Remember, you and I have been going steady for years, and I still don't love you yet.

As a matter of fact, I hate you, because I hate God.

He kicked me out of heaven, and I'm going to use you as long as possible to pay him back.

You see, Fool, GOD LOVES YOU and HE has great plans in store for you.

But you have yielded your life to me, and I'm going to make your life a living hell.

That way, we'll be together twice. This will really hurt God.

Thanks to you, I'm really showing Him who's boss in your life with all of the good times we've had.

We have been...

watching dirty movies, cursing people out, loving worldly things, having bad influences, stealing, lying, being hypocritical, fornicating, overeating, telling dirty jokes, gossiping, being judgmental, backstabbing people, disrespecting adults, and those in leadership positions, no respect for the Church, bad attitudes.

SURELY you don't want to give all this up.

Come on, Fool, let's burn together forever. I've got some hot plans for us. This is just a letter of appreciation from me to you.

I'd like to say 'THANKS' for letting me use you for most of your foolish life.

You are so gullible, I laugh at you. When you are tempted to sin, you give in

HA HA HA, you make me sick.

Sin is beginning to take its toll on your life. You look 20 years older, and now, I need new blood.

So go ahead and teach some children how to sin.

All you have to do is smoke, get drunk or drink while under-aged, cheat, gamble, gossip, fornicate, and live being as selfish as possible.

Do all of this in the presence of children and they will do it too. Kids are like that.

Well, Fool, I have to let you go for now. I'll be back in a couple of seconds to tempt you again. If you were smart, you would run somewhere, confess your sins, and live for God with what little bit of life that you have left.

It's not my nature to warn anyone, but to be your age and still sinning, it's becoming a bit ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I still hate you.

IT'S JUST THAT YOU'D MAKE A BETTER FOOL FOR CHRIST.

P.S. If you love me, you won't share this.

 

From TODAY, Voices

Friday November 28, 2008

 

By Dr James Dobson

 

Last summer, I was in a picturesque little village called Garmish in southern Germany, and I happened to notice a small monument erected in memory of the young men who died in World War I.

 

There on a bronze plaque were the names of boys who actually lived in that beautiful village and who suffered, bled, and died for their country. About 20 men were listed, along with their ranks and dates of death. I stood reading those names and wondering what stories they concealed and what their losses meant to the loved ones waiting in that little town.

 

Then I walked around to the other side of the monument and saw another bronze plaque listing the dead from World War II, and something jumped out at me. Many of the last names were the same. The young men who had lost their lives in that first war had left behind boys who grew up and died in the next conflagration. It also meant there were women in Garmish who lost their husbands in World War I, only to have their sons die two decades later on other battlefields.

 

This little journey into history emphasised for me once more that it is families that suffer most from the ravages of war. 

 

Shield Children From Our Fears

From TODAY, Voices

Thursday November 27, 2008

 

By Dr James Dobson

 

It never has been easy to raise children, but the environment in which they’re growing up today has become much more dangerous.

 

Yesterday’s families didn’t have to worry about drugs, sexual molesters and kidnappers. When I was a child in the 1950s, my folks were more concerned about a disease called “polio”. As a 10-year-old, I moved freely around my hometown. If I was half-and-hour late coming home to dinner, the Dobson household was not seized by panic.

 

But how things have changed. Now, we worry about our children playing in the void deck. What concerns me is how we’re forced to tell our children about it. What does it do to the emotional apparatus of children to be warned about unspeakably horrible monsters that lurk in their neighbourhoods, waiting to kill or molest them or drag them away from their parents forever? It’ll be years before we know the answer to that question, but common sense tells us that the effects can be catastrophic.

 

My advice to parents is to say only what is necessary to teach a child basic safety precautions and then increase the surveillance and protection provided beyond his or her perception. We must shield them not only from the dangers in their world, but also from the fears that haunt us.