Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! ~ Psalms 127:3-5a

“But what good is the love of strangers if your life is of no value to your own child?” ~ The Letter, by Richard Paul Evans, pg. 246

This quote has stuck with me since I read it early last week. Then I read this post on LisaJoBaker.com on Friday, which also struck a note with me…and then just now this one.

God has to keep drilling these lessons into my head because quite often I forget them. Just this past week I took the boys blackberry picking. The perfect time to really interact and make memories with your children, right? Wrong. I got so focused on getting the job done that I didn’t even realize until later what I had missed.

Because of that wasted memory, this weekend I made a conscious effort to try to really see my children and include them, even in the most mundane tasks. So when I began unpacking the stack of decorating boxes in our dinning room, I refrained from telling them not to touch. Instead, as I unpacked and sorted pictures, photo albums, and frames into boxes, they sifted through them, asking, “Whose this?” “What are you doing here?” “What’s that?” Being able to slow down with them was priceless. Sure the job took a little longer, but the time spent helped to add block after block to their precious foundations.

This idea is hard for me to remember. In their lives I’m always building something, and at times I need to stop and ask myself, are my actions telling them that they are valuable and worth my time and effort? Or are they telling another story? Laying another foundation?

Yes, we all have times and jobs that we just need to get done without little hands, but God is trying to get me to see that those times are far less often than I think. He’s trying to get me to see that my priorities are not always his priorities. Even as I read this post from Kari today, He was whispering to me that my family and home should always come first, even as I pursue the other gifts and opportunities he’s given me.

As you make out your to-do list this morning, I ask you to pray about it. Stop and ask God where He would have you place your emphasis today. How can you include your children and family in more of your day? Then look them in the eyes, take their hands, and walk into today together.