If your life has been anything like mine lately, things have been pretty busy. The days go by fast, but the To-Do lists seem to grow. Too often I’ve seen people excel as pastors, but fail miserably at being a husband, parent or friend. I’m realizing how important it is not to let things and people slip through the cracks. So for now, this will be a daily checklist I make for myself, and I¹d encourage you to do the same:

  • Thank God for everything you have. This is one of the more difficult things to make a discipline, but the more we touch base with God, the more he’ll reveal Himself to us. It’s pretty rad.
  • Tell your wife, husband, fiance, boyfriend or girlfriend how much they mean to you. Think of something new every day. Re-live old memories, or just tell them how awesome you think they are. Remember, you are committed to them, too. Being in youth ministry, my rule of thumb is to schedule dates and make plans with students and leave the last-minute spontaneous outings for my wife. It makes her feel special, and there is no better way to show students what a healthy marriage looks like than having fun together. There’s nothing wrong with telling students that you don’t want to leave your wife hanging. (note: obviously things come up sometimes, but students move on and wives are forever).
  • If you have a kid, NEVER leave without kissing them and telling them how much you love them, even if they¹re too young to understand. You’ll never get times like that back, and even if you have over 50 kids because you’re in youth ministry, your own kids get priority.
  • Touch base with close family members through email, texts and phone calls. Try to manage at least one phone call a week, and if you have a spare hour or so, stop by. It¹ll mean so much to them.
  • Make sure your close friends feel like close friends. We should never be too busy for each other. Family is important, but friends fill voids even family cannot.

These are five easy things that will ensure the people who mean most to you know you¹re always thinking of them. Yes, it could get crazy, but there are simply people in our lives that we shouldn’t let fall through the cracks.

Adam Knowles is the Junior High Director at Inland Hills Church in Chino, CA. Check out his blog HERE and you can find him on Twitter and Instagram at @Adam_Knowles