Sitting in our lounge listening to music, early one morning, and enjoying a break from news available on a variety of channels, my thoughts were disturbed by an advertisement from a mobile phone company. Trying to entice listeners with an offer of a new phone it ended with the phrase, “And for only £39.99 per month.” Admittedly, the cost included a state-of-the-art phone, but at nearly seven times the cost of my older, SIM card-only phone, I wondered how many would be attracted to the offer.
Several years earlier, and aware of many single-parent families with limited incomes, the prospect of Christmas must have been daunting especially when confronted by adverts offering the opportunity to purchase presents for ONLY £79.95!
For many families today, this is still a problem that must be faced, and I don’t know how I would cope with such a challenge, not helped by “peer pressure”.
As I continued to meditate on these challenges, especially approaching Christmas, the words of a well-known carol came to mind –
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
Sadly, this does not resolve the financial challenges for those with limited income, but the words in the last line should encourage us in a relationship with God.
Heavenly Father, as we sing hymns and songs, may we be aware of what we are singing so we mean what we sing. AMEN