Driving home one night after work, I switched on the radio to catch the news. In a moment of uncharacteristic sincerity, the announcer made a statement that sliced through my fog of fatigue: "I hope you did something of value today. You wasted a whole day if you didn't."His statement struck me abruptly. Fortunately, I felt pretty good about how I had invested my time that day, solving some of the problems of a swiftly growing organization. But in 10 minutes I would be home where one lovely lady and six pairs of little eyes would need my attention.
Would I do something of value with them tonight?
It's just one night, I thought, and besides, I'm exhausted. Then I pondered how one night followed by another, 365 times, adds up to a year. The nights and years seemed to be passing with increasing velocity.
Five more minutes and I'd be home.
I'll bet there are other men like me who are really tired right now. I'll bet I do better than average with my kids, I smugly concluded.
But another question came to mind and lingered: Did God call me to be merely a better-than-average husband and father? Or to be obedient and to excel?
But it's just one night. What would I accomplish? Would I waste it spending all evening in front of the television? Or invest it in planting the seeds of a positive legacy?
I wanted just one evening of selfishness-to do my own thing. But what if Barbara had a similar attitude? Then who would carry the baton?
One more minute and I'd be home.
Just one night, Lord. It's just one night. But then the same angel who wrestled Jacob to the ground pinned me with a half nelson as I drove into the garage.
Okay, Lord, You've got me.