Don’t wait! Call Now!

Living far away from our family, I don’t call home nearly as much as I should. But then again, my dad doesn’t call me as much as he should… I know, we’re both busy, right? I wish that he called me more, and he probably wishes that I called him more… thus the endless cycle of busyness-as-usual perpetuates. So something had to change…

Rewind probably 3 years ago, I suggested to my dad that we take a father/son trip together. No big plans, just to talk and hang out. Every time we visit them or they visit us, there’s always lots going on and there isn’t much time for real conversation. Well, another year went by and we both forgot about it and then I remembered it again about a year ago. “If we don’t get it on our calendars for next year, right now, it won’t happen,” I said. Both of our calendars book out about one year in advance. So it finally happened this past week! We spent a few days in Niagara Falls, NY and Canada. It was a great time, ‘wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Rewind again, looking at my childhood, adolescence  college years, family years. And my parents have always been there when I needed them for an example, for support and for prayer. I have so much to be thankful for, so I needed to tell them.

The sights and sounds of Niagara were amazing, breathtaking and beautiful, but didn’t hold a candle to the value of the time that my dad and I got to spend together. Here’s how you can do this too:

1. Don’t wait! Call now! Pick up your phone and call you dad, your mom, your son or your daughter, your friend, your mentor.

2. Schedule a destination and protect those dates. I had a lot of opportunities come up during these days, but I declined them for what was most important.

3. Make fun memories. Be a tourist, have some fun.

4. Prepare a list of things to thank them for. Big or small. Old or new. You’ll be surprised at your list.

5. Prepare a list of questions to ask. Maybe you’ve always wondered why they did what they did, how they came to a certain conclusion or major decision. It may give you context into your own past you’ve never realized.

6. Ask for advice on current circumstances. They will offer wise counsel and be honored you asked.

7. Put down your devices. Don’t get distracted by scrolling on your phone.

It’s never the wrong time to be thankful for and encourage someone you love.

Throughout the Epistles we see Paul and others wishing to be with the churches face to face in order to encourage them, or other times it is written that the author plans to ‘send’ someone to them so that they can be encouraged. Letters, calls, emails, fb posts and the like can certainly be encouraging, but nothing compares to a face to face conversation.

Don’t delay, Call today!