Let me encourage you for a moment with this thought… to live now like it’s 10 years from now. But first, stop and think… where will your family be 10 years from now?
I’m currently 39 years old. When I think of my life just 10 years ago, it’s hard to imagine just how far we’ve come as a family. 10 years ago, my 17-year-old was just 7, and my 9-year-old wasn’t even born yet. 10 years ago we were still newly first-time home buyers. 10 years ago it seemed like we had our entire lives ahead of us.
But when I stop to think about my life 10 years from now, it’s humbling to admit that my now 17-year-old will be moved out and married. 10 years from now my 9-year-old will have just moved out of the house and we will be first-time empty-nesters. 10 years from now, I will probably be a grandpa, maybe multiple times over. 10 years from now surprisingly doesn’t seem all that far away, yet oh how life can change with each passing decade.
Some things just don’t matter…
The older I get, the more I realize that there are certain things that I prioritize in my life that really don’t always matter nearly as much as I think they do. My wife reminds me of this when I get a little too military-minded about the kids keeping the house clean or when those extra unexpected expenditures that seem to get under my skin poke up their ugly head.
As I’m aging, I’m learning… and one of the lessons I’m becoming constantly more aware of is the need to live now like it’s 10 years from now. No, I’m not suggesting that I start living like my kids are no longer at home, or that I start spending all my money on myself as if I’m having a mid-life crisis. Rather, I’m talking about a mindset – a mindset that causes me to keep things in proper perspective.
How will I feel about that 10 years from now?…
You see, 10 years from now, I’m going to miss those forts that my sons built in the backyard that are an inconvenience to mow around now. 10 years from now I’m going to wish to see some of those holes that the boys have dug in random places that bug the fire out of me now. 10 years from now I’m going to miss waking up to a hectic schedule of getting kids to school, to driver’s ed, to sport’s practices.
One of Shane’s homemade “forts” in the back yard 🙂
There’s a part of me that’s going to miss the toddler years, the teen years, and all the years in-between. 10 years from now, I will miss the children that made our house a mess, but that also made our house a home. 10 years from now my wife and I will sit down by ourselves in our living room and nostalgically listen to the laughter in the walls.
So, what can I do?…
How can I live now like it’s 10 years from now? Well…
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I can thank God every day for the time he’s given me with my children.
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I can intentionally give up some things now so that I can invest more into my family.
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I can quit complaining about unfolded laundry, ‘spilt milk’, and those inconvenient homemade forts.
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I can wake up every day realizing that this is a day in the life of my family that I will never get back.
- I can appreciate now what I know I will wish I had appreciated more then.
I can live my life like it’s 10 years from now because, at that time, I will probably wish for some of these moments back that I’ve been given today.
Mom, Dad… What if you could borrow some persepctive from the future? Next time you’re tempted to complain, ask yourself this question, “What will be my perspective on this… 10 years from now?”
If you do, it might actually change your perspective right now.
