Take Time To Play

Take Time to Play

“Daddy, can you launch me?” This is a question I often get from my little girl, Carson. It is a question I used to get from her older brother Cooper, but he has outgrown my need to launch him.

When my daughter is asking me to launch her, she is asking me to pull her back on the swing as high as I can, count down, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!” and then she screams, “Launch!” Sometimes I make her give me a kiss between zero and launch. Then I release the swing and get out of the way. She laughs, exudes joy, and can’t wait for me to do it again.

Sometimes I have made the mistake of saying no to her. She asks me, “Daddy, can you launch me?” and I reply, “Not now—I’m busy.” There are times that I must say no, but when I can, I need to lead with the word yes.

Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.” Leading with a yes when it comes to my time saturates my children with my love. It declares to them that they are a top priority in my life and that I love to give them what I have. So the next time you are prone to say, “No, not now—I’m busy,” ask yourself, “Can I say yes here?” Take time to play, because like Brady and Cooper, pretty soon Carson won’t be asking me to launch her anymore.

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.

Proverbs 3:27