I had had it! Done, desperate. I was going to get… the tape measure!
Ever have a child who cannot grasp the concept of the importance, or lack of importance in some cases, of a day, month or even year? Though this swirly mess of learning was actually first conceived with a dear friend of mine well into her adult years, I have enjoyed twisting and turning with teens mostly.
A teary teen whose world is over after a two-month relationship break up. An oblivious teen who thinks playing Youtube videos for hours on end is okay and school just a bother. Both missing the perspective of time. And why wouldn’t they be? It’s a tough concept and I think it’s only tougher now than when I was growing up. Instant oatmeal and no wait Scan&Go’s at Sam’s Club can make one impatient even with the microwave! So… I grab the tape measure – 100 foot please.
Starting with their current age I start to unwind one foot for every year. 13 years old? 13 feet. I explain we are going to take one foot for every year of life… one inch for every month… one quarter inch for every week. We talk about where they were at certain marks. If they are important getting to their current age. Then I ask for their life goals… How old do you want to be before you die? Surprisingly I’ve never had anyone under 85. Then career ideas, college, marriage, retirement, children, grandchildren anything that will help them consider common goals they really do have. Surprisingly, I find asking about grandchildren is better before asking about marriage or children. Most like the idea of legacy before commitment.
Then we work through all those goals. We start to put things into perspective. One bad school year, a broken relationship or a commitment’s effect versus the remaining years of their lives. Whatever it is that they just aren’t getting their head wrapped around compared to the time ahead of them, feet upon feet of the tape measure. As the piles of the tape measure twist and turn around the room, their feet and anyone nearby — the light comes into their eyes…. They have a lot of life to live. And even at 60 feet out of 85 you can see there is so much more to be done! So much opportunity! It’s not too late.
But that is just the beginning.
With my biggest, prettiest bowl I find the tiniest piece of crumb or lint I can. In the pretty, clean bowl I drop that crumb. If you look hard you can see it in there… really hard. That crumb represents the tape measure of their life. The bowl contains Eternity. All those struggles in life amount to so little when compared to Eternity. But the consequences are grave indeed. What you do here will allow you to go where you want in Eternity. Who do you want to take with you? And what are you willing to give up for it? What does it count for now…. Is the sacrifice so great?
Eternity is so great. And the foot, inch, and quarter inch are so small.
Getting lost in the maze of this life? Perhaps you can take a measurement of where you are.
“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
Colossians 3:17
Crazy Faith Family 