Are you grateful? – Day 15

Have you fallen into the trap of becoming so busy with the transient affairs of this life that you don’t make time for the people you care about?

“Daddy, may I ask you a question?” the 6-year-old boy asked his father who, again, got home from work late and irritable . “Yes, what do you want to know?” the father replied. “Daddy, I want to know how much money per hour you get paid at work?” This was a strange question. “Why do you want to know this?” the father asked curtly. “This is grown-up stuff. You don’t need to know. Do you brag at school whose father earns the most?”

The boy shook his head and begged. “No, Dad, we don’t. Please, I need to know how much money you make.” To end the conversation, the father replied: “If you have to know, I make about R600 per hour.” The boy was quiet for a moment before asking: “Daddy, can I please borrow R300?” Immediately annoyed, the father said: “If you wanted to know how much money I make so you can buy a toy, you can go to bed. Go and think about the fact that you always want, want, want. I work hard all day and don’t have time for kid’s stuff.” The boy went to his room and closed the door behind him while his father sat down on the couch.

After relaxing for a while, the father started feeling guilty for being too harsh with the boy. Perhaps his son needed the R300 for something important. Besides, he did not ask for money often. The father went to his son’s room and, while pushing open the door, he asked: “Are you asleep, son?” He wasn’t. As he sat down on the bed, the father said: “Daddy had a long day and was unnecessarily harsh with you. Here is the R300 you asked for.” The boy’s face immediately lit up as he exclaimed: “Thank you, Daddy!” He then jumped from the bed, pulled open a drawer and took out a few crumpled notes while starting to count them.

The father had to bite his tongue not to say anything as he saw that his son already had money. Once the boy was done counting the money, his father asked: “Why did you ask me for money when you already have some?” The boy looked at his dad and said: “I did not have enough money, Daddy. But now I do. Here is R600. May I please buy an hour of your time?”

What are the priorities like in your life? Are you so busy that your loved ones will also start to feel as if they have to “buy” some of your time? In Psalm 118:24 the psalmist writes: “This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Today is a gift. You will never get this day back. Bear in mind that your children will grow up and your spouse will grow older. Do you make time for your children and do you treat them in such a way that they would want to visit you once they are adults? And do you invest in your marriage so you and your spouse will have something to talk about in your old age?

Let’s be grateful for today and celebrate every moment we have to show our loved ones that we care about them. God bless.