There aren’t many foods that I will go out of my way to find and eat. One of them is the Chick Fil A peach milkshake. It’s creamy goodness is enhanced by huge chunks of fresh peaches. I enjoy them so much I limit myself to only two a season to keep me from living on a diet of peach milkshakes for several weeks each year.
The thing about peach milkshakes is they are only available during the height of peach season. Some years the peaches ripen early and I can grab my first shake in May or June. Other years there is a bumper crop and peach milkshakes are still around in September. In bad years, the peach milkshake season can come and go in just a few weeks. Because I limit myself to only two shakes, I plan them carefully. Sometimes I get distracted and pull up for my first peach dream in August when they are already gone for the year. I always cry out, “I thought I had more time before they were gone!”
Parenting is a lot like those peach milkshakes. We know our children are a precious gift. We may even have lots of plans for how we will teach them about God. We might have ideas for great family service projects or family devotionals. Suddenly life happens and when we look up our kids are in college. What happened to all of those plans? Do our kids even know what is in the Bible? Have they read it for themselves? Have we taught them how to put godly principles in effect in their own lives? Do they understand the difference obeying, worshipping and serving God can make in their lives? Do they know why they should even care about God? Do they know how to serve others and share their faith with them?
The best of intentions do your children no good if you don’t follow through. Tomorrow may always be there in your lifetime, but your children will be gone before you know it. Take today and use it to show your children God, teach them His Words, help them understand how to put them into practice, help them understand why God is so vitally important to living the best possible life. If you can do that most days of parenting, you will have given your children a gift more important than anything material you could provide. Don’t wait until it’s too late and your season of parenting is over.