Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children.  Deut. 4:40 

 

Periodically we all need a jolt to wake us up to the less-than-ideal way we treat our family members. John Maxwell tells of a man he met through Promise Keepers. One day, the man’s daughter, who was in the first grade, was asked by her teacher to draw a picture of her family. She loved to draw so she willingly tackled the assignment. That evening she proudly brought her artwork home and showed it to her parents. When her dad looked at the picture he said, 'What’s this picture of?' His daughter replied, 'That’s us and our house. The teacher asked me to draw a picture of our family.' He looked at the picture more carefully and saw that every one was there - except him. 'Sweetheart,' he asked, 'am I in the picture?' 'No,' she replied. 'Why not?' he asked. 'Because this is a picture of us at home, and you’re never here.' It was as if she’d dropped the piano on him! She’d stated a simple fact without malice or any desire to inflict guilt. That was the day he decided he was going to turn his bus around and head back to his family. If you’ve been traveling down the road to success, but neglected to bring your family along, it’s time to make a U-turn. Go back and pick up the people who matter most! Commit yourself to traveling only on a journey that includes them!