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Life goes by fast. In the blink of an eye. And in the blink of an eye, our children grow up. There is not a moment to lose. 

Psalm 39:4
O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days ….

The first time we took Brittany to church, someone stopped us to “ooh” and “aah” over our newborn and somewhere in between the goofy talk that grown-ups use to talk to babies (as if babies can somehow understand us if we talk in a high pitch and make clucking sounds) said, “Enjoy every day. It goes fast.” I’ll admit that as I looked down at our cute little bundle of colic keeping us up at night with piercing screams, I didn’t comprehend “fast.” But now I do.

Our first little bundle is now a wife and mother. Our son Garrison and his wife have three children, with their oldest already in first grade. Lara and her husband have two boys. And Mackenzie and Zach are married living in Florida. But, seriously, how did that happen? Where did the years of first words, first steps, and first birthdays go? How did the years of cutting teeth, pulling teeth, braces, and monthly installments to the orthodontist disappear so fast? Now I long for the days when Garrison sat with me during Steeler games and asked an unending series of questions like, “If the Steelers punt the ball and someone shoots the ball when it’s in the air, what would be the ruling?”

Our kids grow up fast, and there is not a moment to waste. What we as parents give them can come from no one else. What parents fail to provide is found nowhere else. We are the framers of little hearts that grow into big lives. Parents must take advantage of every fleeting day. One more thing…if anyone knows the ruling when a punt is blasted out of the air, let me know.

Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

We will keep this fleeting time thought going tomorrow. Years ago, when our kids were 10, 8, 6, and before Mackenzie was born, Lori and I wrote some thoughts titled—Some Day When Our Kids are Gone. I will share that with you tomorrow.