I had the absolute pleasure of spending the past few days with my family. We traveled to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for my sister's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony held at an old, nineteenth-century tobacco farm. It was a tucked away, hidden treasure of the Smokey Mountains to say the least. Never in my life have I been completely taken away by the artistry of our Creator.
Saturday evening my dad and I got into one of our father/son talks which I've grown to cherish. I've never spoken to a wiser man in my entire life. But that's beside the point. We began the conversation with making smart decisions for my future family. Which eventually led to the subject of saving for a wedding ring, a home, insurance, vehicles, and even children. Obviously, I was immediately stressed. As scary as it seems, all of this business isn't too far down the road. Dad told me that no matter what, with the exception of God, your family must always come first. Period. He went on to say that he knew I would be able to support my family and provide for them the things they needed and wanted. I hope he's right.
So, with all this mess to mull over in my noggin, I asked him how he dealt with providing the things we wanted without completely spoiling us. He told me that you can never spoil your wife or kids "when they deserve it". I almost choked up. But to get to the point of all of this, Dad told me that when it comes to doing new and exciting things and traveling to new, amazing places, to do it. To quote the old theologian, my old man said, " Bart, you can't spend your entire life wrapped up in finances. As long as you provide well for your family, go and do the things y'all want to do in this world. It's just money."
This is a life lesson that I want to share with you guys. Life is too short to worry about little pieces of paper with numbers on them. Love God, do well for yourself and your family, and experience the wonders, big or small, that He has given us to enjoy.
