“Children are a gift from God.” Psalm 127:3 Living Bible
“A child is a child for a short time; in that season you can build a friendship for a lifetime.”
Lauren, my thoughts today are about “living without regret.”
Tomorrow, today will have become yesterday, hopefully without regret. It is easy to live each day with a shortsightedness that fails to appreciate the unrepeatable nature of each precious day. If you live any day of your life looking to some later, better time, then you might miss the one-of-a-kind opportunities and enjoyments that God gives each day. That’s what causes regret.
And today is really the only day you can count on. Future days are in God’s providence alone. I wish that I had been much smarter in some of my earlier years. If I knew then what I have learned since, I would have been more wise in the simple advice, “carpe deum – seize the day.”
The Bible reminds us, “Children are a gift from God.” Psalm 127:3 TLB. I would love to have lived that special season of my life more wisely – a special time of life, being a young husband, and the father of two incredible, young kids. Maybe that’s the reason that so many of us grandparents give more attention and spend more time with grandchildren than we ever thought we could with our own kids.
I know that is why I often left the office to take our first grandchild to lunch at MacDonald’s when she was just two years old, and happily drove her to school myself on her first day of Kindergarten, in spite of not realizing the need to walk our son to the school across the street from our home on his first day of Kindergarten. That’s probably why I later chose to spend most of my days off with our grandsons before they entered school, rather than playing golf. I wanted to be without regret. I am saddened to confess that all of our grandkids have been a more practical priority for my time than when I was a young father too busy to know better.
I would have been a better husband and father had I invested myself more in our home than in my work, rather than postponing my attention to a future season “when I would have more time.” I would hold more cherished memories of our children’s earlier years, had I been more available to their lives than I knew to be then.
While I was busy looking toward a later day, two wonderful kids almost grew up. I was almost too soon old, too late smart! I am thankful that I saw my error before it was too late to redeem missed opportunities. By God’s grace and Gayle’s skillful parenting, I had the chance of shaping two young lives and building lasting relationships that that made the rest of my life much richer.
A child is a child only for a short time; in that season you can build a friendship for a lifetime. My point is this; you should live your life today so that you are without regret tomorrow. Children are a gift from God – as are many other people, privileges, opportunities, and relationships with family and friends. Every opportunity has an expiration date. Live today completely!
Lauren, my prayer for you is this: live everyday as irreplaceable, because it is.