Read Psalm 127:1, 3, 5
There’s no substitute for the family! I’m sure you can recall times in your own family that make you chuckle.
Other times those family memories are deeply profound and stabilizing. Who can ever forget the impact of a father’s strong arms around the shoulders of his kids following the loss of someone they all loved? Or the comfort communicated by a mother’s embrace? Or the hope generated through a family discussion at the end of a day when stress had reached an all-time high? Or how about those occasions when you needed to talk...to let it all out...and a brother or sister was willing just to listen without preaching or even frowning? Families and encouragement mix well together.
Occasionally, God gives a family memory that becomes so deep a crease in the brain that time can never erase it. Pause a moment and meditate on these ancient, but timely words:
Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.... Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.... How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! (Psalm 127:1, 3, 5)
Let’s get real. When we allow the tyranny of the urgent—the ever-increasing demands—to siphon our energy and enthusiasm so that the family is left with nothing but cold leftovers, we are labouring in vain!
By keeping the Lord at the centre of our homes by inviting His presence before meals, acknowledging Him in prayer at the close of each day, and seeking Him in His Word at critical moments when a situation seems impossible, we guarantee our efforts will not be in vain.
How about getting reacquainted tonight with those who live under your roof and eat at your table...and who bear your name and your nature?
Chances are good that they prefer time with you to any substitute. They’d love to be reminded of how important they are to you. Kids love to know they are loved...and why.
Devotional content taken from Good Morning, Lord...Can We Talk? by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2018. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.
The full devotional can be purchased at https://www.tyndale.com/p/good-morning-lord-can-we-talk/9781414380681.
