Time Out for Family

“Nate’s grandfather has been hit by lightning seven times—and survived!”
 
These are the kind of things you hear when you take time out for family—when you press the proverbial “pause button”—as I had an opportunity to do last Friday. (Nate is a friend of our daughter Sarah.)
 
It’s spring break time in Colorado Springs, and Kim and I decided to drive a couple hours up into the mountains for an overnighter in Buena Vista. We can’t do this very often, but we stayed in a hotel rather than camping. Good thing, too, as we awoke Saturday to an unexpected snowstorm.
 
What I experienced there provided inspiration for this piece about the benefits of taking time away with family, even if only for a three-day weekend.
 
For one, I really appreciated spending some quality time with Kim and two of our kids, Sarah and Christopher. I was reminded once again that you can’t simply schedule “quality time”—it typically shows up in the midst of quantity time.
 
On Friday afternoon we played tourist in Leadville, the city just north of Buena Vista, walking through shops–including a fascinating antique mall that originally served as business offices in the 1800s. We had an early dinner at the Golden Burro Café, then back to our hotel in Buena Vista. We spent the evening together at the pool, playing games and talking about the stuff of life, like Nate’s thriving grandfather.
 
The point is this: If we didn’t get away, we wouldn’t have had the quality that comes from quantity time.
 
I also enjoyed meeting some friendly folks who encouraged me all the more in my own family. In the hotel breakfast area, I met a mom who was also the “morning person” in her home. She introduced herself, told me about her family, asked me about mine.
 
She was letting her hard-working husband and the kids sleep in while she charted out the day’s travels in light of the snowstorm. She asked where I worked, and we talked about Focus on the Family. She responded positively and expressed gratitude for our “good work on behalf of the family.” I was keenly aware that her family is in the bull’s-eye of Focus’ ministry.
 
Finally, I had the privilege of meeting a grandfather who was staying at the hotel with his wife and grandchildren. He came over to my table and introduced himself, asking what I was working so diligently on. Actually, I was enjoying some extra devotional time, so I said I was going through some material to help me “stay on track in my life.”
 
With a widening smile, he spoke of the four devotionals he and his wife go through each morning; one of them from Dr. Gary Smalley. I enjoyed telling him about my co-worker (and fellow Dad Matters blogger) Greg Smalley, Gary’s son. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” we agreed.
 
This grandfather and his extended family are certainly a picture of what we would like to see as a result of Focus on the Family’s ministry. Indeed, he was the picture of a person I want to be when I grow up (as it were)…loving God, loving family, loving life with the wife of my youth.
 
Dads, let me encourage you to start planning now to press that pause button. You need it, your family needs it and you just might learn some things you didn’t know during some quantity time with your wife and kids. You might even meet some fascinating folks whom God uses to recharge your ministry batteries.
 
Contributed by Dean Ridings