Thought of the day
Paul writes, "Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity" (Ephesians 5:15-16). Notice what he doesn't say. He doesn't say wait for the perfect opportunity. He says make the most of the one that's already in front of you.
Most of the moments that actually matter don't announce themselves. You don't usually get a heads-up: "this is a big parenting moment, pay attention." Most of them look completely ordinary while you're standing in them. And you don't always get to decide which ones stick. You can plan an elaborate family experience and spend real money on it, and your kid will remember something completely different that happened on an unplanned Tuesday.
Here's a question worth asking honestly: are you as intentional about your family's faith as you are about their success? It's easy to get very organized about the other stuff . . . finding the right coach . . . hiring the tutor . . . knowing the schedule, the stats, and what needs work. None of that is wrong. But is that same intentionality showing up anywhere near your kid's walk with Jesus, or is that getting left to chance?
The good news is that you probably don't need to add anything to an already full schedule. The opportunities are usually already inside what you're doing. The thirty-minute drive to practice is thirty minutes. A tough loss is a conversation about identity. A great game is a conversation about humility. A hard test result is a conversation about where worth actually comes from.
Today, don't look for a new moment. Look at the one already in front of you. Are you physically present or actually present?.