Christmas in January

Last week, my parents and one of my sisters came to Antigua. We had a great time together. It wasn’t the presents they bought us, but their presence that made it feel like Christmas in January.

During my family’s stay, I took them to some of the popular tourist sites on the island. We went to Shirley Heights, Jolly Beach, Signal Hill, and several restaurants. It was a blessing to have them in my home.

As my parents age with grace, I am more appreciative of every moment we share. During one of our conversations, my father talked about the passing of Tony Evans' wife. He said that he and Tony are close in age. That comment stirred some thoughts in my head about how much time my parents have left.

The reality is that none of us know when our time will expire on this earth. Our inevitable deaths give us reason to live each day to its fullest. We need to prioritize moments with our family and push ourselves daily to live in our human potential.

With my father's role as a pastor of a church in Los Angeles, he would say that we need to get in-tune with the Most High God. Well, the "get in-tune," is more of my language, but I agree with him. We must establish firm spiritual beliefs before our final departure.

One morning during my parents’ visit, I picked up my phone and saw a text from my mother at 6:39 AM. The message read, “Waiting for the Sun to come up. Message for today, are you waiting for the SON? He is on the way.” When I looked at this text, I shared it with my wife, and we laughed. It was a corny play on words, but we received the message.

My parents have always done their best to steer my family in the direction of establishing strong relationships with God. They drove my sisters and me to church every week. On most mornings, you could find them in their bedroom on their knees in prayer.

I am blessed to have two loving parents who modeled their faith at home.

During their stay in Antigua, my parents reminded me of their enduring love for me and my sisters. On one of our car rides, my mom talked about how she appreciated my kind spirit and experiencing Antigua together. My father, a man of few words, listened and replied, “ditto!”

From the States, my sister and parents brought some thoughtful gifts. The children love soccer. My parents gifted them with new jerseys and soccer socks. One of the things my wife enjoys doing in her spare time is cooking. My parents and sister gave her some of her favorite spices.

A few months back, my favorite camera broke. I wanted to buy a replacement, but the priority of eliminating debt prevented me from making the purchase. To my surprise, my sister and parents split the cost and bought me the latest model of my broken camera!

Their presence and presents blessed us on multiple levels.

This week, I want to encourage you to make time for your family. Send a text message to one family member who you don't speak with often. Comment on one of their social media posts.

You may have some challenges in your family. I get it. My family is not exempt from issues.

Nonetheless, let’s do our best this week to build stronger bonds with at least one family member.

To learn more about the dynamics of my family, enroll in my course, or purchase one of my books. In the course and my books, you can discover some concrete foundations that can shape your approaches to developing better relationships with the people closest to you!

#family #love #antigua