Time

I had a conversation with a man this week whom I would consider to be a very intelligent and very biblical man.  To back our conversation, he is not from around the "country" area either, so we have common ground (minus the 20+ age difference).  Anyways, his question for me was "does it seem like everyone is just busy and has no time to do anything else but work, try and make money (or have money and try and make more), and fill their calendars with odds and ends so they seem like they have something going on to compete with Mr. Joe up the street."  My response, "yes, it does seem that way to me." 

As I have been pondering these comments these past few days, I have come to an even deeper understanding of time (I know I am just in my twenties and I really know nothing, but I have gained a deeper appreciation for time).  As I look at my now 19 month child and think to myself where has time gone?  All I can think is how can I strengthen and build him into such a wonderful human being?  And I believe the answer is TIME.  I can give Callen my TIME as he is piddling (my biggest pet peeve) in the morning or while we are trying to get out the door or doing whatever.  I can sit down and piddle with him, if he wants to play one more game then let's play one more game.  At the end of the day it is just TIME.  I can spend MORE TIME reading to him and MORE TIME praying for him and with him and MORE TIME in the Word with him. 

Going places and being busy has its place, I am aware of this.  But, if it is one thing I have learned in my short life, money is nothing and being "busy" is not important.  What is important is the QUALITY of TIME that is spent on a person.  A person knows if you are really spending YOUR TIME to help someone or to benefit them.  People aren't stupid. 

I was told a story this week that pretty much bring this whole time issues into a great and wonderful picture.  A lady was very involved in her church, doing all the "right" things.  She had her hand in many pots and her time was very thin for anything else.  She was the church secretary, and also the leader of other things.  She had two kids (small) and they were always being shuffled back and forth to church activity after church activity.  One afternoon, the lady got home long enough to change clothes and grab her kids to go to the church volleyball function that night.  As she was loading her kids (quickly) in the car, she noticed that they were crying.  As she got in the car and looking the rearview mirror she noticed that her kids were very upset.  As she pulled her car out of the drive(in a hurry to get to church), she asked her girls what was wrong.  Their response, we just want to stay home with YOU.  She immediately pulled back into the drive and said let's stay home and make cookies and watch a movie.  That, my dear readers, is time.

This lady was "busy" with church "stuff", but yet she was still BUSY.  You only have a short time with your children, that you DECIDED (unknown or known) to GIVE LIFE TO.  They are kinda your responsibility to groom into outstanding human beings.  I don't want Callen's memories or thoughts to be that my mom and dad were always too busy to do anything with me.  I want to raise Callen to be a good, responsible, God loving and fearing, a caring, supportive, loving husband, and a dad that would make anyone else jealous.  I want those things for Callen.  What I don't want is him thinking, I had a lot of "stuff" (I know he does), and my parents were always busy, and even though it was full of necessary stuff (so it seems), there was not quality time.

The dishes will wait till tomorrow, the grass will still be tall next week, the thing you are trying to fix, will probably still be broke when you get back to it, the cows/dogs/horses/others probably need to be watered today, but the majority of "none living or growing in the ground "stuff" can wait if your kid isn't getting the "STUFF" that he/she needs.

  "Stuff" is great to have in your life, but if you are filling your calendar with "stuff" just to look busy or you think you have to be busy, then you aren't living.  Make memories, be spontaneous, take trips, be silly together, work together, enjoy each other, read the Bible together, laugh together, volunteer together...but, most importantly make TIME for your kid that you are raising.  Give that kid more hugs/kisses/words of praise more than he/she can handle.  Raise that kid to see that even though there is all this other "stuff" nothing is more important than building a loving, Godly, caring, supportive relationship with that kid.