Wednesday, January 8, 2014

slow down for crying out loud and...


Way too many people miss out on the "time between." Let me explain...

Gwyn Thomas said it this way... "But the beauty is in the walking- we are betrayed by destinations."

Our calendars are marked by appointments, meetings, and events, and often we allow these to be the primary place where all of our energies are focused. Yet, a large part of our days are marked by the "time between", the time spent in cars, airplanes, sidewalks, and hallways.

The time between is often seen as wasted time and we use expressions like, "Oh I have to drive 45 minutes to work, Oh I wish it didn't take so long to drive here or there, Oh that is so far to walk, Oh Oh Oh Oh you get the point.

Deuteronomy 11:19 says, "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

One of the many values that my wife and I have as we raise our children is to prioritize the time between, because it is often the best time to speak into their lives. Instead of dreading the drive, make it the time when you catch up on their lives and connect God to life. 

I love the "time between" because God has given me some of the very best teaching moments with my kids. 

As you can see in the photo above, my wife and son are walking with my mom, and the joy of the conversations  we had as we walked to our destination will fill my memory banks forever. Slow down for crying out loud and enjoy the walk between the appointments.

Don't under-value the "time between" for that is where some of the most meaningful conversations will ever take place. The destination point is important but not necessarily the most important.




1 comment:

Sara1025 said...

So good, Jim. When my children were growing up, we lived 14 hours from family, and it was on those long drives that we made some of our best memories and added to our family folklore.
We should never miss an opportunity to share a story of 'the days that were' with the young people in our family... it's one of the most important things we will ever do, because it connects them even more securely to their roots.