By being accountable to God for the human beings entrusted into my arms, I had to grow in the direction of the ideals I wanted them to understand and emulate. And this personal character development influenced so many other realms of my life: my work habits, my writing and speaking, my willingness to accept the difficulties and bring light into the dark chaos.

What you practice in small areas of life impacts what you become in other areas. My own interests were stretched by the many inquiries and studies of my children, my education was broadened, my writing was enhanced by the countless books we read together, and my mind became stronger in and through ideas shared, discussed, and even challenged by my family.

Read more about this in my new book, Well Lived.