This may sound strange, but one of the little things that my father-in-law did that really impacted me was this: he always answered the phone when someone in the family called. It didn’t matter what he was doing or who he was meeting with. He was incredibly busy pastoring a huge church, but anyone in the family could interrupt him at any time. Answering the phone was a way of giving unique access. And that little thing made all of us feel special.

I’ve tried to follow suit. I’m not perfect at it. And I’m sure my father-in-law wasn’t either. But answering the phone is one way of putting your family first.

I think we’ve got to find little ways to make the truly important people in our lives feel truly important.

Answer the phone.