B.H. Carroll, who founded the world’s largest seminary, lamented at the deathbed of his son, “I’ve taken care of the Lord’s house but not my own.” Billy Sunday, one of America’s greatest evangelists of the past, saw all four of his children die before reaching their 40th birthday. He said, “Funny, but in the last 20 years I’ve spoken to 85 million people. I’ve had the joy of seeing thousands come to Christ, yet my own children, the people closest to me, have found no peace and no happiness anywhere.”
Peter Lynch, who made 15 million dollars a year through annual fees from the Magellan Fund said, “When you start confusing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and Sallie Mae with members of your family … when you remember 2000 stock symbols and forget birthdays … when you’re too wrapped up in your work, it’s time to reassess.”
Is it time for you reassess your priorities? Lynch went on to say this about the moment when you take a step back to reevalute your life: “You start to realize you’re going to exist for a while, whereas you’re going to be dead for a long time. You start wishing you’d seen more school plays and afternoon soccer games. You remind yourself that nobody on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time in the office.’”
Don’t neglect your family; you may live to regret it.