"A Family Like God's" (Part 10)

“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:20-23 NIV).

Today we will look at the fifth principle of in developing a family like God’s: Neglect the whole world rather than each other. There are so many things that pull at our time and energy. We should be very careful to guard our relationships so that nothing may drive us apart.

Today's parents talk quite a bit about spending quality time with their children. Some parents believe that if they've spent an hour of "quality" time with their children, they've done enough. This hour is usually focused on an enjoyable activity: watching television, going out to eat, or going to the movies; of which all are good things, but not the BEST thing. I know that today's world turns at a frenetic pace and parents are often overwhelmed by all they have to do, however you cannot minimize the importance of spending both quality and what I call quantity time with your kids.

I have heard it said that time is the most precious thing you own. Because our lives are so full of hurry, worry and activity, we often stress the importance of spending "quality time" with our children. Much of the time this is rooted in the fact that we feel guilty of knowing that we often push our kids to the bottom of the list. Yes, we assure them, I’ll spend some time with you, but only after I finish this and that. Spending time with our kids becomes another item on our list, as if they were a "thing to do." Unfortunately our children feel and understand that.

My oldest son said it so well once when he and I were watching David play a baseball game. He looked at me and said, “Thanks for coming to the game to watch David, Dad. You know, we always play better when we know you’re watching.” I never forgot that conversation. While many may have misunderstood my priorities, my prayer was that they would be very clear to my family. Make sure that your family sees you place them ahead of everything else in life. No wonder that the wise father in our parable said, Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. He truly understood the value of his son to him.