I recently read, “You never really notice how quickly time passes by until you watch what you create grow up.” I’d like to change that slightly, “You never really notice how quickly time passes by until you watch them walk out the door.”

My oldest son recently moved out. It was the right decision for him – it was time. He needs to stand on his own and feel the weight of his decisions without mom and dad standing right behind him. But the moment that he literally walked out the door was much harder than I expected.

See, part of my job is giving a presentation to college parents during New Student Orientation. I try to give them a few pointers as they drop off their kids and say goodbye. I tell them to “send” their kids, like an aircraft carrier launching a jet, sending them out into the world for the cause of Christ – Matthew 28:19-20.

So, I took the opportunity to do the same for my own son. He was all packed up and heading over to the new place. I gathered the family and told them what we were doing. I started to pray, and I didn’t get very far before my emotions got the best of me.

The truth is that I hadn’t thought through the impact of that moment, and it was not just a moment.

Since my wife and I married 23 years ago, we wanted to have a family. God gave us four incredible children. We were “livin’ the dream” as they say.

People have often said, “You have such good kids – they are kind, obedient, well-behaved.” While I appreciate the compliment, my primary goal is not to raise good kids. I want to raise God-fearing adults who love Jesus Christ and glorify Him.

There’s this statistic that gets thrown around: when a kid leaves home at 18, he’s spent 90% of his time with his parents. Ninety percent.

That’s why the moment wasn’t just a moment. It was the end of a chapter.  My wife and I had dreamed about a family, and our dreams had come true. We were a family of 6, but now the dinner table would have 5 place settings not 6. Now I would say good night to three kids, not four. Shortly there will only be two kids. Then one. Then none. Things will never be the same.

As he walked to his car, tears were streaming down my face (and my wife’s). And I realized the truth of that statement: time flies.