As I sat at the parent weekend for my daughter’s university, it finally started to sink in. I couldn’t believe how fast her journey with us had gone. As Kenny Chesney’s song “Don’t Blink” conveys, time slips away quicker than we could ever imagine. Launching her into college arrived a year early since my daughter was able to skip her senior year of high school and advance to a university. I should have expected it, since she started walking at 9 months and hasn’t used the break pedal since. Time always flies by quickly, but I didn’t know it would be cut a year short by my daughter’s brilliance and drive. Sitting at parent weekend was a real eye opener: We just don’t have endless time with our kids.
Our gracious God has provided us a few years with each of our children. These years are the most formative of their entire life. Yet God saw fit to allow us the incredible opportunity to build into them a significant purpose, a strong hope, and a secure love. Just think about it: We have, as parents, the perfect season in a child’s life to pass on a legacy of grace lived out and played out before their eyes. Every force in our world will be against this, because our enemy does not like God’s grace. Why? Because God’s grace changes lives and addresses for eternity. Grace equips children to transform their world—not as safe kids but strong ones. That is why Paul said in Ephesians 5:16, “[Make] the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Every moment of every day is a precious teaching opportunity and life building moment for each of our kids.
For starters, try to control the speed of your family so you can make the most of the years you have. Be intentional about how you use your time so that you make the most of every moment with your kids. Teach them about God’s grace and power at every turn so that when you sit down and look back at those parent weekends, there will be no regrets.
Written by Roy Fruits
