#3 Dont miss it with the family
As I write, Ruth and I have just celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary. I have to tell you, I am nutzoid over her! By Gods grace, our kids are on track spiritually, as are their spouses. They are doing a dynamite job of raising their children.
At the height of my professional career I stepped down from considerable responsibility that demanded an inordinate amount of time away from the family. I chose instead to take a relatively obscure position to not lose my family. Looking back at age 75, I have no regrets!
Dads and moms, your spouse and children have legitimate needs wired into them by God, that only you can meet. Dont trade those precious relationships for a higher position, more money or notoriety. It simply is not worth it.
Paul instructs us, Anyone who wont care for his own relatives when they need help, especially those living in his own family, has no right to say he is a Christian. Such a person is worse than the heathen. (I Tim. 5:8b TLB) That word care conveys the idea of planning ahead; giving forethought on how to take care of anyone within the circle of family relationships. Leading a family well is not a casual or ad hoc affair. Paul instructs us that a spiritual leader in the church must manage his own family well. That is, he is to diligently care for, shepherd and guide them. (I Tim. 3:4)
My father was the general manager of a global shipping firm. In my early years, I was raised by maids while my mother attended social events at private clubs and imbibed alcohol. What I knew of my father was someone who was consumed with work with scant awareness of my existence.
At age 9 my parents divorced. When I was 15, my mother died in a car accident, drinking while heavily intoxicated. A year later my 17 year old sister eloped. 18 years later, trapped in an insufferable marriage, she took a large dose of pills after a heavy night of drinking and never woke up, leaving six children and an alcoholic and abusive husband who died four years later. Fast forward thirty years: One of her children spent many years in prison; the daughter is on her 8th marriage, and the other four live desperate existences.
CHALLENGE: My friends, the stakes are just too high for us to miss it with our marriages or with our children. Would you take a few moments and ask God if you are on track? The health of future generations depends on us getting it right.
This week may you experience His grace, peace and protection.
R. Dwight Hill