Hard Lessons

by Kelly Knowlden

In my pile of notes, I have an article that gives me ideas to write about, saying, “Things I am missing that are truly important.” In it are ways to note what I am missing. Here are two:

• The kids are startled when you want to interact with them.
• When you say, “I’ll play with you later,” and you actually think there will be a “later.”

 Of course we have reasons. And of course they are legitimate. They even may have to do with the work of God’s Kingdom, like: calling the widow, helping the unsaved neighbor, being at Bible study. The real problem is generally not that we are involved in things that we ought not to be. Rather, it is that we invest in the good things and miss out on those things which are most important. God does not call me to do everything. He calls me to be faithful in some things. I choose what I want to invest in.

My children are one of those “most important things.” My times with them will come to an end (all too quickly, I might add!) Bath times, bed times, seeing them play a Little League game, reading to them, praying with them, having conversations at the table with them, helping them with homework, all will come to an end. The call of the yard work, the vocational work, even the work for the church must take second place in vying for our time. I must be building relationships with them now so that when they are grown and gone, we will still have a relationship.


Sometimes the seed of teenage rebellion is simply our lack of investment. They seek a relationship with those who are most important to them (Mom and Dad). When we are too busy, they develop relation- ships elsewhere... someone WILL satisfy those needs. Let’s work at winning the hearts of our kids now.