When we think of the words “checking in,” we might think of checking on our loved ones when we haven’t spoken to them in a while. We “check in” to vacation accommodations or hotels to let them know we are there. Parents also must faithfully “check-in” to their children’s lives as we are being made aware through the public eye that we must know of those that influence them. No one will stand before God in the accountability as parents for raising our children. It’s not the teacher, the preacher, or the babysitter. It is parents whom God has equipped and appointed to “raise up a child in the way they should go” (Proverbs 22:6).
One of the wonderful opportunities that this time of year offers each of us is the opportunity to stop and take inventory of our lives and the functionality of our family. This assessment will most always lead to change. Life can become mundane and at the same time chaotic. There is an old saying that “you will get used to anything once you have done it long enough.” We will get used to those things that are not beneficial nor producing what we want, and we then fail to make the necessary changes. We can spend a lot of time and effort doing good but fail at doing what is best.
December 31st is a very natural ending to a year, but it also may provide an opportunity for each of us to make changes that are necessary to cultivate a “thriving” family environment. If you and your family continue at your present pace, what will it produce in your lives? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Are you and your family members so over-extended that it seems attractive to give up? Jesus promised “abundant” life. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,” (John 10:10 KJV).
The abundant life that Jesus gives comes from a life that has the right priorities in order. Jesus said some very special words when He was speaking on the cost of being a disciple. These same words would be fitting when we consider the cost of being a parent.
“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!‘”
(Luke 14:28-30 NLT)
Our daily decisions have consequences. We don’t mind bearing the cost when the right investment is made that then produces the best return on our investment. We don’t want to turn quarters into pennies in the legacy we are creating for our family and the daily investment we are making in our children’s lives. Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV): “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” — Happy New Year!
