A Matter Of Time

“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.” — Mark 10:13-14

Consider the following statement: Your family matters, but your time with your family also matters. When the end of his life drew near, Steve Jobs expressed little regret or dissatisfaction with himself. His repeated wish was that he had spent more time with his children.

We are only going to have our kids for a few more years and then they will be gone. And we don’t want that time to pass by and say, “Why did I give my time to everyone else, but not my kids? Why did I think it was so important to be at work one more hour? Why didn’t I watch their school programs? Why didn’t I read them Bible stories? How did I miss out on so much?” James writes in 4:14, “…Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” The only time we have is right now. 

If you want to see how to make good use of your time, study the life of Jesus. Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry. You never saw Jesus running, or rushing around, trying to make up time. It was the opposite, He made time for all people. He made time to consider the flowers and the birds in the air. He had time to put his hands on the children and bless them. He had time to heal people and feed thousands. He had time to stop and talk to the woman at the well, the centurion whose daughter was dying, and a man born blind. Time was His friend.

Our time is our life, and how we spend it shapes our character, our happiness, our success and our future. Spending time with each child may be difficult when you have a few children and you are busy and tired after a day’s work. Nor are we suggesting that you spend every minute staring into your children’s eyes telling them they are perfect. It’s not possible nor do they need that. But they do want your time.

Talk to parents and they will remember the quality time they spend with their parents. The year that their dad coached their soccer team. Or that special family vacation.  Or the conversations around the dinner tables, or the time mom made that Bible story seem a little less scary. Not only will they remember the events, they will remember the willingness and the commitment in finding time for the kids. 

Every dad who has ever braided his daughter’s hair, knows that it is not as easy as it looks.  And often when done, the child refuses to go outside. But here is the point: It’s not about the quality of the braid, but about the quality of the time spent with your little girl. 

Discussion Questions:

1. What constitutes quality time with another person in your mind? 
2. What can we do this week to spend more quality time with those you love?