Kenny Chesney, a popular country singer, has enjoyed the recent success of a song entitled, “Don’t Blink” that focuses on the brevity of life. In the song an older gentlemen is being interviewed on his 102nd birthday and is asked the question, “What is the secret to life?” Though his response isn’t necessarily filled with a lot of theological jargon, his words really strike a chord with me, and with a lot of people I’m sure. Hence the song’s popularity. Here’s what he says:
“Don’t blink
Just like that you’re six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you’re twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don’t blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads, next thing you know your “better half”
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you’re praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don’t blink”
Though I’m not a hundred and two, yet…I am still amazed at how rapidly my life is moving. There are days when it literally does seem like I just came home from my first day of kindergarten, and here I am now over three decades removed from that day, a parent myself! And the line about having to be careful so I don’t “miss your babies growing like mine did, turning into moms and dads,” gets me every time! Wasn’t it just yesterday we brought my firstborn home from the hospital? They can’t really be just a few years from leaving for college already, can they?
I always wax a bit nostalgic in early September, as summer draws to a close and I reflect on how my family spent the dog days of June, July, and August. I cast a lingering glance back at our vacation photos and experience a bitter-sweet sensation. On one hand I am so very grateful for the fun we got to have going here and there, making new memories together, and on the other hand, I’m wondering if I made the most of that time with my children. The “Summer of ‘08″ or “‘07″ or “‘0anything” for that matter, only comes once. Did I capitalize on it enough for the sake of my children?
The Bible talks about my need as a parent to train my children to follow after Him (Proverbs 22:6) and to commit myself to the Lord’s commands, repeating them over and over to my children, talking about them when we’re at home, when we’re on the road, when we’re going to bed, and when we’re getting up (Deuteronomy 6:7). God’s Word also admonishes us to make the most of every opportunity we have to share God’s love and truth with others, because we never know when Jesus is going to return and our time on earth will be over (Ephesians 5:16). And, of course, we’re reminded of how short our lives are in verses like James 4:14 that say, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog-it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” Essentially, that verse is like God saying, “Don’t blink!”
We must be very deliberate about seizing regular opportunities to talk about and demonstrate God’s love to our children. We have to train them to follow God, to respect His Word, and to obey the Lord (and us) while they are in our care, because they won’t always be in the room just across the hall. One day our children will be off at college or starting their new career, or as the song says, “turning into moms and dads” themselves. What will they remember about their childhood? What life lessons are they gleaning from you now, as their parent, that will carry them beyond the walls of your home and into a time that you will likely not live to see?
Will your children have a deep rooted love for Christ because they see that modeled in your life? Will spending time in God’s Word and interceding for others in prayer be a priority to your children based on the observations they’re making now, watching you? Will your children one day have a healthy, God-centered marriage because that’s the example they see in your relationship with your spouse? Will your children attend church, give their time and resources to God’s Kingdom, and use their natural talents and spiritual gifts to serve the Lord because that’s what they’re seeing you do now during their formative years? Will your children have a strong work ethic? Will they be reliable, polite, honest, loyal, and respectful? Will they honor God if they follow the model they’re seeing in your home today? That is a heavy thought for any parent to consider. It is a sobering question to ponder, and hopefully a very motivating one too.
Our children are gifts to us from the Lord, and like anything else we’re blessed with from God, we show our appreciation to God by what we do with that gift. We are to live in constant gratitude for His generosity and respond in such a way that demonstrates our recognition of the love and trust He’s shown in bestowing us with that gift. Even when we’re tired after a long day’s work, when we just want some time to ourselves, when we’re frustrated that is seems we’re nothing but a short-order cook, a maid, a paycheck, a chauffeur, or a warden to our children, we must hang in there and lovingly make the most of every opportunity we have with them. We can’t abdicate our God-given role as parents to the church, the school, the Boy Scouts, the neighbor, or the day care. Though all of these places can help us accomplish the goal of teaching our children well, none of them can replace or surpass our position as the ones primarily responsible for helping our children learn how to follow God!
We must take our roles seriously and make sure we’re giving it our all. When the routine and mundane activities of our everyday life present us with a teachable moment, we have to grab it! They are only ours to nurture daily for such a short while, and though fatigue and exhaustion would seek to prevail, we have to persist and count the days, for they are few and oh so important. Make everyday count for its greatest potential so that when that day comes, and it will be here sooner than you may realize, that your last child leaves the nest and spreads their wings to fly on their own, you and they can celebrate all the time that you spent together over the years growing and learning about God, rather than lamenting that you didn’t do more. Parent in such a way now that when you do your “remembering” years from now, Lord willing, about the kids, you won’t be sad, but you’ll be glad for how you invested this season of your lives!
prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for gift of children. And for the children You’ve given me, I am especially grateful for the privilege of being their parent. Lord, on those days when I’m worn out and just don’t feel I have the energy to impart spiritual truths to them, please sustain me and help me find my strength in You. And Father, on those days when I am feeling energized, help me still to always rely on You to do the best job I can to teach my sweet babies, no matter how old they may be, something new about You, as You reveal more of Yourself to me as well. I love You and want to thank You for how lovingly You parent me and how patient You are towards me. May I give my responsibilities as a parent to You, one precious day at a time. In Your name I pray, Amen.