It was a night most Dads with two young, busy children would relish- a night at home to do whatever I wanted without interruption. As circumstances would have it I found myself with a wife who was working the night shift at the hospital and my two children, due to an early morning appointment I had, spending the night with Mimi and Pop.
So with a free night to burn I did what many Dads would do- I sought to relieve some stress! My way of relieving stress comes in the form of getting my hands dirty and tackling projects I have no business tackling. The particular project in my crosshairs this night- repainting the kitchen cabinets. Now even a novice, as I am, knew that this would not be a one night project, but I figured I could make great headway with no kids and the house to myself. And Yes, I did have permission from Rebecca before starting the project- a necessary first step in any project. A painful lesson I have learned the hard way. So I set out to start my project and I must admit it went quite well. I cleaned, caulked, filled in screw holes, sanded, de-glossed and was even able to apply the primer to the bottom cabinets. It was truly a nice nights’ work.
As I started cleaning up the mess I had made I noticed a strange sound- it was the sound of silence. Yes, it was 11:30 PM, and the goal every night in the Cannon household is silence at that time, but this particular night it was deafening. I did not like it! I had been able to work for several hours and not notice the loud scream of silence, but as I prepared to go to sleep myself I was suddenly reminded that no one- not my son, daughter, or wife were there with me. It was in that quiet moment that I was reminded of this verse- Psalm 127-3-5:
"Children are a gift from the Lord: they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior's hands. How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates."
A few minutes later another verse popped into my mind- Proverbs 18:22:
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD.”
So often I run through life unaware of the blessing that my wife and children are to me. I appreciate them, but do I truly show them how much I value and love them? The silence of a night alone taught me that I can do a better job. What about you? Do you find yourself taking for granted your family?
F. Reeves Cannon, III. M.A., LPC, BCPCC
- Reeves Cannon
- Florence, SC, United States
- Reeves Cannon is a board certified Professional Counselor (LPC). He graduated with honors from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Counseling. Reeves received his undergraduate degree from Columbia International University in Youth Ministry. He is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) and a board certified Professional Christian counselor with the International Board of Christian Counselors (BCPCC). Reeves is a certified administrator of PREPARE-ENRICH, a pre-marital and marriage assessment tool for counselors and clergy. Prepare/Enrich is the most widely used premarital counseling tool in the United States today. Reeves also travels around the southeast as a seminar speaker for Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. The subject of personality, relationships, and team building are the focus of those seminars. Reeves is the Director of Counseling at the church at Sandhurst in Florence, SC. The purpose of the counseling center is to provide Biblically centered professional counsel to individuals, couples and families in Florence and the surrounding area so that God may be glorified and lives transformed.