2 Kings 1-3 | Luke 24:1-35

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” Matthew 19:14

Whether we are rich or poor, young or old, hardworking or lazy, what we all have in common is only 24-hours a day. For some of us, those 24-hours seem to be too little, as we never seem to find enough time while we’re rushing around and scurrying about to get things done.

Yet, as it takes time to grow as a person, it also takes time to grow as a family. In a recent study completed by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States on the amount of screen time children have daily, it revealed that 8-10 year olds spend six hours, 11-14 year olds spend nine hours and 15-18 year olds spend seven and half hours in front of their screens. Rather than spending time with children, parents are more than willing to allow the internet and social media to parent their child.

In a survey asking parents of young children about their willingness to sit with their children and read, 60% of parents said that they have no time to read with their children. If parents do not read to their children when they are little, they cannot possibly start reading with them when they are older. Reading times are precious times. The family gets to sit or snuggle together and go on literary adventures, working through the good and evil in books and discussing things. More than helping the child with their reading skills, it is also an opportunity to teach them morals.

For parents, it is crucial to carve out time each day to spend time with their children. In doing so, what parents will uncover is that there is pleasure and joy in laughing, listening, looking, snuggling, tickling and spending time with children. As parents put away the screen and take time to listen to their children, they will discover the most wonderful things that will make them laugh, weep and grow.

My (Hilary Price) children have taught me so much. I have a little red book where I write down all kinds of things that they said when they were little people; if I had not recorded it, I would have never remembered. One phrase I recorded is “Good night, I love you. I’ll see you in the morning.” Those words are so important because they mean, “Whatever has happened during the day, I love you. And in the morning, I’ll be there for you.” Even as adults, it is comforting to hear those words from our Heavenly Father.

May we consider how we spend our time each day: are we using it to build meaningful relationships with God the Father, our earthly family, our church family?

PRAYER

Lord Heavenly Father, thank You for the amount of time You give me each day. Help me to steward those hours in a manner that pleases and glorifies You.