That ancient voice from the distant past – Ferris Bueller – once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” A reminder of that fact recently popped up in my life.

While sorting through our Christmas decorations, I opened an envelope to find the Christmas photo cards we had made the previous year. That’s not remarkable at all, except I found all of the Christmas cards we had made the year before. Life had moved so fast the previous year that we found time to make the cards, but not to send them out. At first, I wanted to use the old cards for this year, but when we noticed how much our children had changed over the past year-we quickly concluded that would not work.

Life keeps moving at its own relentless pace. If we don’t intentionally pay attention to what is most important, we might find missed opportunities when we look back. This truth applies to every part of life, but nowhere is it more sharply felt than in our family relationships.

Ephesians 6:4 encourages parents: Fathers [or parents], don’t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master. (The Message)

One reason GFC is my church is due to my confidence that the Family Life Ministry here acts as a capable, faithful partner to help me “take my children by the hand” and guide them toward Jesus and his desires for their life. That type of movement doesn’t happen by accident. The speed of life requires intentional moments to evaluate our family relationships and to develop a plan and strategies that lead our children toward Jesus. We want to create one of those moments for you.

If you are a parent or grandparent, our opportunity to influence our families passes quickly. Be part of the Grace Based Parenting Conference with Dr. Tim Kimmel to gain some perspective and develop or adjust strategies when it comes to influencing the children in your life, regardless of their age. Learn more and sign up now to ensure you can be part of this event Friday, January 31, 6-8:30 and Saturday morning, February 1, 9-12.

Parenting isn’t always easy. We won’t always get it right, but we can keep improving. Don’t allow life to move so quickly that you miss the opportunity to “take your children by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.”