Most of us fulfill many different roles. I am a husband, dad, business owner, employee, minister and the list goes on and on. Each of these roles brings a level of satisfaction. It is easy to get wrapped up in a particular role that builds our confidence and one that people are always applauding. I once heard an actor talk about how he would spend all day at a set and everyone around him would brag about him and laugh at his jokes. When he arrived home that night, he was met by his wife who had been at home all day with their six children, who just needed him to take out the trash. We tend to gravitate toward roles that stroke our ego and make us feel important.
You might not feel that important when you are changing a diaper, cleaning mud tracked in by you 6-year-old son or taking your pre-teen to practice. You might often feel unappreciated as a parent. But what we do as parents, no one else can do. Our children are a gift from God. God thought you were so important that he gave you and your spouse your children.
I can preach somewhere and after service, people will come up and be so kind to say, “Thank you for what you said today, it helped me.” Or several people might come to the altar and pour out their heart. Yet, sometimes when I lead devotions at home, I can just tell that the kids are ready for dad to stop talking.
Charles Adam the grandson of John Adams and son of John Quincy Adams, served as a Massachusetts state senator, amongst holding other important political positions. He kept a journal and encouraged his kids to do the same. His son, Henry spent a day with him fishing. Afterward, Henry wrote in his journal,
“Went fishing with my father today, the most glorious day of my life.”
It is said that Henry would fondly talk about this day for many years.
His dad, Charles Adams entry in his journal was totally different. It said,
“Went fishing with my son, a day wasted.”
There is not a grand stage or a lot of applause to being a parent. It can be a day to day grind. But it is one of the greatest tasks that God can give a couple. Spending time with your children is not a day wasted, it is important because you are helping raise another generation of godly men and women.
In family relationships, love is really spelled T.I.M.E. Dieter Unchtdor
