Sunday, April 13, 2008

My post last week was about my friend Kim who has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Although I wasn’t even at my church yesterday (I had accompanied my daughter to a church across town where she was serving as a guest worship leader), the pastor’s topic was on storing up treasure in Heaven. He showed a video clip of an acquaintance of his who has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). He was a young man (probably late 30's) who is on the last leg of his journey with this illness. He had things he wanted to say before he went home to be with Jesus. When asked about his life’s regrets, he answered that he was sorry that he had spent so much time at work when he should have been at home. He’d worked long hours on things that could have waited. He had sacrificed evenings and weekends with his family for seemingly urgent deadlines--deadlines that mean absolutely nothing now.

When my children were little, I had a framed saying that I hung in a prominent place in my home that helped me keep things in perspective. It said:

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait ‘til tomorrow,
for children grow up, much to our sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs!
Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby,
and babies don’t keep!

I’m not suggesting anyone neglect being a good steward of her home! But I am saying, Let’s prioritize! Babies don’t stay little for long. Now’s the time to rock, play, laugh, dance, and sing with your baby! "Cleaning and scrubbing" may be taken literally here, or it could be that you have other “cleaning and scrubbing” in your life—such as a job that takes up too much of your time, or a hobby that has gotten out of hand, or a relationship that is stealing time and energy away from your family (which is your top priority under God).

Pray to find the balance between taking care of business, and the business of taking care of your baby! It's not easy. It can be a constant struggle. That baby of yours is so important! You are the steward of a life! Your relationship with your baby starts NOW! Take care of the big things first. The little things will fall into place. No one wants to have a life full of regrets, and when it comes to our kids, the time we have with them is so limited, because "Babies don't keep!"

When you look at your day, ask God to show you what's important to Him.

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all
times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in
fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. (1 Peter 5:8 AMP)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I enjoy the saying to cherish your child, for they are only little for so long. It helps me to remember that a full time career has its time and place, but right now, while my baby is still little, I am in the right spot.