Once upon a time there was a couple with three children.
Before this couple had children one of their favorite things to do was go out to dinner. Once the children came along, for some odd reason, dinner out wasn’t quite as peaceful and pleasant as it was B.C. (before children).
But soon they found a rather unique solution. They would leave the children with a sitter, go out to eat and if there were any leftovers they would bring those home for the children to divide up and share. Sadly, there often weren’t any leftovers so the children frequently were starving.
I am guessing that we all agree these were pretty rotten parents. They probably should have had their kids taken away for the kids’ own protection. It makes it even worse when we realize that often these parents came home empty, with absolutely nothing leftover for the kids. Common sense says these are super-bad parents.
But what if we tweak this story a little and instead of talking about food, we apply the same common sense to our time and to our emotional and physical energy.
How many of us think nothing of giving all our emotional energy to the job. We come home with nothing to offer the kids but leftovers – and all too often we don’t even have any leftovers to offer. We come home empty – totally drained emotionally or physically or both.
Our kids are left starving for attention, for affirmation from the most important people in their lives.
Starving kids will find food somewhere.
When we lived in Central America we often saw children rummaging through piles of trash. So many scores of children regularly scavenged through the city dump that a couple of ministries sprang up just to reach these kids. Starving kids will find something to eat even if it’s garbage.
Television marketers work to attract attention starved kids. So do gangs and other bad friends. They are all too happy to provide a feast of garbage for your kids’ eyes and spirits.
Attention starved girls will hook up with the first boy that feeds them. And they’ll do most anything to keep the attention coming. And there are dozens of attention starved young boys looking for some hungry girl they can hang on so they can get fed, too.
Giving your all to the job or the career may seem wise now but as one who has been down the road a little further (a lot further?) I can look back and guarantee that you will suffer deep sorrow and regrets if you don’t feed your kids well.
And don’t fall for that “I give them quality time, not quantity time”. Kids need both. Quality does not come in tiny doses. It takes quantity to produce quality.
As the story goes, no one on their death bed says, “Oh, I just wish I had spent more time at the office.” Everyone regrets not investing more time with their family.
If you died tomorrow your job would replace you and in a few weeks you would be “Old what’s his name that used to work here.” But your family could never replace you. They would grieve for the rest of their lives. If that’s true, and it is, where do you need to be investing your time?
Let’s put a stop to feeding out kids leftovers. Take some time today and give them your very best.
…turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”
Malachi 4:6
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