Today's Devotional

 

April 30, 2008

                                                                                         

Subject:  The Issue Of Presence 

Psalm 127:3  "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

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My daughters seemed content to have me care for their horses even though they had to pay me to do it, but the other day after we had finished taking the horses for a walk, they noticed something.  I took one of the horses off of it's rope and the horse continued to follow me as though the rope was still attached.  For awhile it seemed as though nothing would stop the horse from following me.  The other horse, which my daughter had taken off of the rope did nothing of the sort.  I said to my daughter, "they know me from feeding them daily," to which my daughter replied, "well I pay for you to feed them."  I then said, "horses don't know who pays to have them taken care of, they only know who cares for them."  As soon as I said it, I realized it was a profound statement, not just for horses, but for people too.  

In this day and age of many dual-income families, i.e. a family where both spouses work, it has become common-place for children to spend extended hours in daycare facilities or in arrangements that give them less and less time with their parents.  Parents often compound this problem by opting to replace their presence with things or people.  This might seem okay for the children, but in the end, like the horses, they develop affection for those who take care of them and not those who pay to have them taken care of.  

Today parents need to consider the issue of presence in the lives of their children.  The current demands of my job, though I spend much time with children at work, leaves me little time during the week with my own children, so I must thoughtfully consider if my time is being wisely spent.  After my daughters are finally taken "off of the rope," I don't want them following their care-taker around.      

Carlen