Prioritizing What Matters Most
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14 (NIV)
“We should play a board game,” my oldest son said.
It was a carefree summer night with no sports practices to rush off to and no homework to complete for the next day. Immediately, I thought a family board game was a good idea, and the fact that it came from my teenage son was icing on the cake. That he initiated a family activity was a big deal. He was choosing family over everything else in his life.
I had spent the past school year watching him transform from the boy I knew into the teen I barely recognized: His interests were different. His voice was deeper. His features were more mature. He was growing up, and I was learning to embrace the young man he was becoming and let go of the little boy he used to be.
Unfortunately, I missed the magnitude of this moment. As excited as I was to spend time with my kids, my attention was divided when we sat down to play a game of Clue. I needed to send just one more email before I could focus on the game completely uninhibited.
My kids proceeded to place the game pieces on the board and review the directions while I typed away. “I’ll just finish this email and then stop working,” I said to myself.
My youngest son rolled the dice and began to play. I was still typing.
“Close your computer,” they said as I pecked at the keyboard. I was so close to being done. Then my oldest son rolled the dice while I periodically glanced at my computer screen.
“You can’t play the game and be on your computer too,” he said. He was right.
I’m not very proud to say it took a third request from my children before I finally closed the lid of my laptop and allowed myself to be fully present, but I’m glad I did. This was more than a game of Clue. This was an opportunity to engage with my children — an opportunity I almost missed. This was a chance to choose what matters most rather than what appears urgent.
