I received the following email a few hours ago from Paolo, our VCF-Fort Bonifacio kids pastor.
I recently attended the wedding of one of our former student leaders, who is now a lawyer. During the reception she honored her parents, especially her dad. What she said made me re-evaluate my priorities.
Here’s what she said: ‘My dad carefully chose which businesses to get into. He could’ve acquired more wealth but that would mean less time spent with his family. He made a deliberate decision to say no to certain opportunities so that he could spend more time with us. For that, I honor him. I love you dad.’
This email reminds me of one of my favorite photos that stares at me daily from my desk. It was taken at Yosemite about nine years ago, during a family vacation with our good friends Emanuele and Shirley Cannistraci, along with their daughter and some of their grandkids. Emanuele and Shirley always treated my boys like adopted grandsons. In the photo my young sons are sitting on a boulder with a beautiful waterfall behind them. The rustic wooden frame has the word “PRIORITIES” written in bold letters right under the picture.
Proverbs 23:7, 8
Don’t wear yourself out to get rich. Be wise enough to say no. When you take even a quick look at riches, they are gone. They grow wings and fly away into the sky like an eagle. (NIrV)