By: Kori Spangler
Spring is a season full of new life and beauty. Flowers are in bloom, birdsong fills the morning air, and longer days emerge from the slumber of winter. This sweet season of awe-inspiring wonder is often accompanied by a hurried pace for many families. As we attempt to use every moment of glorious sunlight for one activity or another, we often find ourselves trading peace and rest for over-burdened schedules. While some have higher capacity for tasks than others, it is important we remember packed schedules may leave us feeling depleted. This is especially true for children. We may find their early spring exuberance for the activities before them quickly turning to undesirable behaviors often catalyzed by exhaustion. In hopes of shepherding the hearts of our children toward the things God loves, let us consider opportunities for modeling intentional living.
- Choose your best yes: Each season brings an abundance of possibilities. There are many good things we want to put our hands to. It is important for children to learn that with each yes, something else must be set aside. It may be difficult to discern a healthy balance when the options before us are often things God loves. Unlike God, our time has limitations. The old phrase, “there are only so many hours in the day” can either serve as an anthem for setting limits or a painful reminder of our own limitations. Instead, let us praise our Creator for giving us a daily opportunity to be reminded of our complete dependence on him.
- Redeem mundane moments: Car lines, sporting events, and endless chauffeuring can leave us feeling like the majority of our time has been wasted. This is especially true when our lives are jampacked with more opportunities and responsibilities than we can manage. Thankfully, we have endless resources available for redeeming these mundane moments for God’s glory. Consider listening to beautiful literature, praying through a written prayer list, or discussing a passage of scripture as you accomplish daily tasks. God desires to captivate our hearts and the hearts of our children. These simple moments of abiding in his presence model our dependency on him for rest.
- Embrace missional opportunities: In the book of Mark, the call from God is clear, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength—Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-32 CSB) Our neighbors include those who are often close to us, but far from God. Let us model mission-mindedness as we strategically set up our folding chair on the sidelines near our lost neighbor, invite families into our backyards, and invest in conversations with new friends at the park. Encouraging our children to embrace opportunities to live open-handedly often requires a step outside our comfort zones—and that is a good thing!
Stewarding time with children is both a rewarding and costly endeavor. The good work of planting seeds requires presence and intentionality. The pleasant fruit of time invested in one another yields patience, kindness, joy, and love. However, an overextended schedule often cultivates bitterness, jealousy, self-reliance, and contempt. Here are two vital reasons why redeeming time in line with God’s design is essential.
- Satan distracts in our busyness: Our enemy is real, and his tactics are anything but passive. Instead, the Bible uses active verbs to describe his efforts of prowling, roaring, looking, and devouring. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 CSB) A busy schedule full of countless distractions causes us to be vulnerable to the relentless pursuits of Satan. He pounces the moment our gaze is broken from resting in Jesus to prioritizing our to-do lists.
- God delights in our rest: Scripture is a beautiful gift. Searching its contents is often described as mining for treasure. One treasure found among its pages is the reminder that God desires his children to find rest in him. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30 CSB) In a world where multi-tasking is easier than ever and productivity is king, it is important we model for children the beauty of embracing intentional moments of rest.
As we make plans for stewarding the time God has given us, let us first consider what he has for us. Let us guard our time with Jesus, show our children how to embrace our limitations, and rest in the presence of our Creator.
»