The Prudential Limits of Prudence for Parents

The gift of a beautiful interruption reminds Jake Frost of the prudential limits of prudence.

I had a great plan for the evening. It involved a cup of coffee and working on a personal writing project.

It was a beautiful spring evening, I had a window open, and was just settling into my office chair when in toddled our one-year-old daughter with her shoes in her hand.

She held the shoes up and waved them in the air and with a big smile on her little face and pointed to the window and said: “Out!”

She’s so cute, and was so happy and excited, I couldn’t say no.

So I scooped her up and said, “Let’s go!”

We got her shoes on her feet and her coat on and headed out.

When her siblings saw their beloved little baby sister marching through the yard on a quest for sticks and leaves, they came out to join in the fun.

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Until the Sun Set in the West

Soon we had volleyballs flying and soccer balls being kicked and bikes being pedaled.

We all played together all evening until it got too dark to kick or catch or ride anymore.

Then we lay down on our backs in the grass and talked while looking up at the moon through the branches of the trees. Except for Little Wonder. She crawled over us, moving down the line of her recumbent family members, laughing and laughing as she maneuvered across her human jungle gym.

I still think my original plan for the evening had been good, but this was better.

The Better Part

I love planning. A calendar and array of colored pens puts joy into my heart.

A good plan can help move us where we want to go in life, keep the family on track, and help us all get more done every day.

I’ve heard it said that Henry Ford spent fifteen minutes every morning making a plan for his day and that he called those fifteen minutes the most important of his day.

But it’s good to remember that the aim of our plan is life; the plan is in service of living, not the living in service of the plan.

And there are limits to what we can plan. There’s so much we can’t ever see; there are so many things we don’t know, it’s only prudential to recognize the limits to our prudence.

It’s also part of walking in faith, trusting in God to provide our daily bread, whether that means food and shelter or time and money, and then being open to using the gifts He gives us as He would have them used.

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It’s also easier to see the gift in the interruption from a little one-year-old bringing her shoes and wanting to go “Out!” when “Out!” for her 16-year-old sister means the car keys and a text when she’s heading home.

I can see now how short these days are and how precious.

Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of a beautiful interruption!

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