Life is Front-Loaded
There is a limiting lie in our culture that hurts both us and our children.
The thread of the lie goes something like this, “Infancy, babyhood, childhood, the teen years, and the twenties shouldn’t be taken seriously or treated as overly important. Goof off now, waste now, think of yourself now – the time for growing up, maturity, and responsibility will come later. But thankfully, that time is not now.”
This lie limits our life, steals our happiness, and dwarfs our potential. The truth is that LIFE IS FRONT-LOADED.
The nutrition and emotional care you receive is more shaping to your life in infancy than it is at eighteen. The relationship decisions you make at sixteen are far more impactful on your life than the ones you make at sixty. The financial decisions you make at twenty-four are far more important than the ones you make at eighty-four. The time and effort you put into building good relationships with your children during their childhood is more impactful than the same effort you put in during their thirties. In every area of life – developmentally, relationally, emotionally, spiritually, nutritionally, financially, etc. – the care and guidance you receive and the decisions you make are far more shaping to your life or the lives of your children at the earlier stages.
This truth is both well-researched and self-evident, but somehow the lie persists.
Accepting this truth doesn’t limit our happiness, it protects it and sets us free. To use a Biblical term, good stewardship of life’s opportunities is the most reliable path to a satisfying life. This means recognizing the gifts we’ve been given for what they are and treating them like they matter. This means identifying the junk food, junk time, and junk expenditures in your life, getting rid of those things, and replacing them with something better.
The most important time to start making deposits towards a bright future is right now.
If you are a parent, the most crucial time to shape your child’s character, teach them about life, give them a good memory, and be present in their lives is RIGHT NOW. The longer you wait, the less difference it will make and the fewer opportunities you’ll have.
Life is a gift! Don’t waste what you’ve been given.
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