fbpx

For the past two years I have worked from my home. I tell people that the commute is great, usually consisting of no more time than a twenty-foot walk from my kitchen to the office. Overall it has been a great blessing, although there are times when noise from the kids being kids or my dog barking at the UPS deliveryman can be disconcerting. As the kids have grown and my need for a quieter environment has increased it has slowly become apparent to my wife and I that I need to work outside the home. I must confess though that my need to move probably also has a lot to do with my wife growing wearing of my ever increasing collection of books, which she says seems to be increasing like a brood of bunnies in Springtime.

After a few weeks of searching I found a nice quiet one-room office that was only ten minutes from my home. Keeping it as a surprise, Lori and I packed the kids into the car and drove them to the new office. Excited to show them where I would soon be working, we toured the office and then I saw an upset look on my ten-year-old daughter’s face and tears in her eyes. When I asked her what was wrong she hugged me really hard and said, “But daddy you won’t be home anymore when I come home from school!” What she was referring to was a little ritual that had developed between us over the past two years. Every day when the kids come home from school they run directly upstairs to my office, try to sneak up on me, give me a big bear hug and then tell me about their day at school. I had no idea how important this little routine was for her or how comforting it was for her to know that I was there.

After a little talk, my daughter was fine as I reassured her that I would always be there for her and I would be home soon after they got home from school. It really touched me deeply though to see how important my presence is for her and how much she treasured our little daily routines. As I reflected back on her words, it has given me great joy knowing how I mean to my daughter. Then it hit me, “God must feel the same way about us!” His heart must leap when we take time each day to tell Him how much we love Him and how much He means to us. I also bet He looks forward to meeting with us, especially when we make it a daily routine. It has to melt His heart!