I feel really strongly about family and the fact that our family (yours and mine)is something we really need to nuture and protect as much as possible. I believe God also sees our family units as sacred and special. I guess maybe Christmas time has heightened those feelings for me and I feel it's a good time to encourage you all to protect what's important and invest in making your family strong and happy.
I have so many concerns about the family of today. I worry about families who survive the fly-in-fly-out lifestyle and how they can possibly maintain strength and unity when one parent is missing so frequently. I worry about the dads who work such long hours and often weekends so they can provide a sole income for their family, they, and fly in and out dads miss so much of family life. I worry about single mums who have to go it alone with little support......
I could go on and on about my concerns for family but won't because I don't want my personal opinions to upset anyone. I just want to encourage you to look after your family.
Spend as much time as you can together, if that means making some tough decisions to make that happen, I urge you to make them. Wealth, jobs, money, houses, material possessions will fade but your family and your relationships will last. If you sow little into them now you will reap very little in the future.
I understand that sometimes situations and circumstances are out of our control and we have limited decisions but I'm asking you to consider the decisions that you can control. Let me give you an example: if you need a new car why buy the really expensive one that will force you to work extra hours to pay it off when a cheaper, equally reliable car would be a wiser choice; this will allow you to work less and spend that time with your family.
As we head into a new year, maybe it's a good time to take a look at our family unit. We need to ask ourselves: Are we spending quality time together? Are mum and/or dad spending too much time at the office or at work? Do we have time together on weekends? Holidays? Weeknights? What kinds of activities are we spending time doing when we are together? Where do our priorities lie?
I don't have all the answers and my family certainly is not perfect but my family are the most important aspect of my life (after God of course) and I often stop to make sure they have priority in my life and other distractions are not getting in the way.
Food for thought I hope?
Blessings and Love,
I have so many concerns about the family of today. I worry about families who survive the fly-in-fly-out lifestyle and how they can possibly maintain strength and unity when one parent is missing so frequently. I worry about the dads who work such long hours and often weekends so they can provide a sole income for their family, they, and fly in and out dads miss so much of family life. I worry about single mums who have to go it alone with little support......
I could go on and on about my concerns for family but won't because I don't want my personal opinions to upset anyone. I just want to encourage you to look after your family.
Spend as much time as you can together, if that means making some tough decisions to make that happen, I urge you to make them. Wealth, jobs, money, houses, material possessions will fade but your family and your relationships will last. If you sow little into them now you will reap very little in the future.
I understand that sometimes situations and circumstances are out of our control and we have limited decisions but I'm asking you to consider the decisions that you can control. Let me give you an example: if you need a new car why buy the really expensive one that will force you to work extra hours to pay it off when a cheaper, equally reliable car would be a wiser choice; this will allow you to work less and spend that time with your family.
As we head into a new year, maybe it's a good time to take a look at our family unit. We need to ask ourselves: Are we spending quality time together? Are mum and/or dad spending too much time at the office or at work? Do we have time together on weekends? Holidays? Weeknights? What kinds of activities are we spending time doing when we are together? Where do our priorities lie?
I don't have all the answers and my family certainly is not perfect but my family are the most important aspect of my life (after God of course) and I often stop to make sure they have priority in my life and other distractions are not getting in the way.
Food for thought I hope?
Blessings and Love,
Hi Narelle. A very insightful and thought provoking post. I am one of the single mums who goes it alone with little support and I also work full-time. While I'd like to be studying and pursuing with a vengeance all the things that I would like to do, God has put on my heart the need to raise my daughter in the best possible way for Him. I don't do it all as well as I'd like to, and there is always room for much improvement, but I am doing it to the best of my ability with God's help. At the end of the day it's family and relationships that are important and you've hit on a very valid, even vital, point. Paula
Hi Paula, thanks for your comment. I don't think any of us parent as well as we'd like to but we do our best don't we? I'm glad you agree that family comes first - whatever our family looks like.
Blessings to you and your daughter xox
I know I could do better, even though I am home all the time. I could be doing more.
We have to buy older cheaper cars so I can stay home with the kids.
Nancy I know you're not alone. I constantly feel guilty about the things I could/should be doing better as a wife/mum. I've posting in a coouple of days about focussing on the 'good' things we do as mums :)
Blessings to you xox
It is so important to think this one through. I homeschool so I'm with my kids all the time but I know that at times I need to do the fun stuff too- not just the doing and being stuff.