Just a quick post about something that I believe all of us parents struggle with and that is scheduling our time. Time for our children, time for our career, time for ministries, (the first draft I typed mistresses) time for your spouse (who I love more than life itself), time for yourself and time with God. I've noticed that when I'm dividing my focus between my daughter and something else she will look at me and say, "Daddy, both eyes on me." This is her not so subtle way of saying that I need to be with her fully in that moment, not pretending to care and trying to accomplish something else.There is a Kenny Loggins song called "For The First Time" that just nails how I feel about my daughter. That song always reduces me to a puddle when I hear it and never fails to remind me of when my daughter was first born. Holding her in my arms that afternoon everything changed. My heart grew so large I thought it was going to burst out of my chest. Emotions that had never been touched sprang to life, exploding in me, around me and finally softly floating to rest on her pretty head. Eyes that trusted me totally. Fingers that grabbed my heart with a stranglehold that will never cease. I looked and then I couldn't look any more. I made promises to her that I will never break (GOD willing) and will hopefully take a lifetime to achieve.
But someone once said that the best way to increase something in value is to hide it. And the best way to reduce something in value is to put it in plain view. The mystery subsides, the shimmer fades and what is left is one more item to dust. I'm sorry to confess but that principle also applies to the people within my own life. It is so easy to start seeing the costs of the relationships versus the blessings. Reminding myself of how much I value and love the people that God has placed in my life helps me honor their relationships. How precious are their laughter and their sorrows. How empty my life would be without them. Treasures without equal are contained in the hearts of those we love. Now, I'm off to play . . .
