30-Second Version For Busy People

My toddler asked me if I would be with him in heaven the other night. I answered as honestly as possible: "I will do everything in my power to be with you in heaven."

When something is truly worth fighting for—like heaven—we should shape our lives around that reality. Instead of striving to do more things that won’t matter in 100 years, let’s focus on being present and living a life of love and virtue.

• Today's Better Thought: Heaven is worth fighting for.

• Today's Better Action: Spend less time doing and more time being.

Remember, better thoughts lead to better actions, and better actions lead to better Christians.

Full Version

The room was so dark that my eyes might as well have been closed. Nothing stirred except the erratic kicks to ribcage and flying hands thwacking the side of my head.

Only parents of toddlers will understand the pain a tiny hand can create in a dark room at bedtime.

It was a normal Thursday evening, and my wife and I were coming home from our weekly Bible study. Our three-year-old was still awake, so I volunteered to put him to sleep.

I hope I never forget that night for the rest of my life.

My son did his usual bedtime gymnastics routine, willing his body not to go into that deep sleep it desperately wanted. That evening, I decided to close my book and snuggle close to him for reasons I didn't know.

I'm glad I did.

"Were you at Bible study?" He whispered, finally beginning to settle in the crook of my arm.

"We were, buddy."

"Daddy, is heaven in the sky?"

The question caught me off-guard. A talent most toddlers possess. "Kinda. It's too far for us to get there. But one day Jesus will take us."

"When I fall down, will I go to the doctor in heaven?"

"You won't get hurt in heaven. It's only good things."

"Heaven sounds nice."

Moment of silence.

"Daddy, will you go with me to heaven?"

"I will do everything in my power to be with you in heaven."

BETTER THOUGHT

Today's Better Thought: Heaven is worth the fight.

There are many reasons to fight for eternity with God, and my son gave me one more that night.

Think about other things worth fighting for in your life.

Soldiers fight for freedom and life. Single mothers fight for food and security. Entrepreneurs fight for clients and longevity. Authors fight for reader retention and creative ideas. Pastors fight for conversation and life change in their community.

When we know what we are fighting for, doing what can often feel impossible becomes possible.

Equally, a life of faithfulness—against the pull of the world and the heart—can sometimes feel impossible. Trusting God in moments of overwhelming doubt and fear can be draining.

But heaven is worth the fight.

Find a reason to fight for heaven. There are many to choose from, so find the one that will push you toward God today.

Maybe it's God’s gracious gift of forgiveness.

Maybe it's a promise of eternity without pain or suffering.

Maybe it's to be with those you love.

Maybe it's to simply be in the presence of Jesus.

BETTER ACTION

Today's Better Action: Spend less time doing and more time being.

I talk a lot about setting and achieving goals—I'm a bit of a goal junkie. Sometimes, I chase after a goal just for the satisfaction of checking it off rather than focusing on what the goal is truly meant to achieve.

But that night, lying in the dark with my son, still rubbing my head from one of his acrobatic kicks, something shifted in me.

In 100 years, the hardships I'm facing today won’t matter. The struggles, the battles, the uphill climbs—they won't matter.

And in 100 years, none of the material blessings I'm chasing will matter either. My home, my status, my education, my investments—they won’t matter. Only one thing will matter: Am I saved?

This isn’t an altar call but a realignment of focus. Today’s better action is to spend less time doing and more time being.

I put the book down that night because I believe God wanted to teach me something new about time, priorities, and perspective. So, what did I do with that lesson?

I turned it into a goal. I wrote about it—another goal. And then the next night, I pulled my book out again to meet my reading goal. I’m a work in progress, just like you. So this week, I’m committing to two better actions to help me be in the moment rather than just doing something “productive.”

• Give my boys 100% of my focus when they wake up in the morning (no finishing my writing or picking up my book while they play).

• Reduce my time on social media to 2 hours a day (I’m currently averaging 4 hours).

Hit "reply" and let me know what you're doing!

BECOMING A BETTER CHRISTIAN

When Christians get better, everyone gets better. Here are a few ways I am getting better this week.

• I'm currently listening to Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks, and it’s blowing my mind. Here’s a nugget: every good story worth telling revolves around a 5-second moment. If you can identify that moment of transformation, you build up to it and from it. Boom! You’ve got a story worth telling.

• I caved and bought paddleboards on Prime Day and have taken my son out on them four times. Our first family outing was last Friday, and it was amazing to be out on the water together. We've also started doing what my son calls "family walks." I'm learning to savor these moments without my phone in hand.

• One new habit I’m tracking this month is saying a morning anthem. I’ve done it before and really enjoyed the process, which I first learned about in Jon Acuff’s book Soundtracks. If you’re interested, you can read my morning anthem here.

Trivia — A Sentence I Wish I Wrote