Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:40
The hard work of marriage, parenting and maintaining healthy relationships is a holy calling. God’s work includes loving our spouse and raising our children. The more we grasp what it means to serve the Lord in every aspect of our lives, the more we will be able to make wise and difficult decisions about how we invest our time—for God’s purposes and glory.
Honoring the call to family and healthy relationships requires setting boundaries on our work, making intentional commitments with our time and establishing sustainable rhythms of life.
We live in a culture that highly favors achievement. The more activities we manage to fit into our schedules, the fuller our lives are supposed to be. Sixty- or seventy-hour work weeks are signs of dedication, and our kids are constantly shuttled between sports teams and piano lessons. Multitasking is the norm, to the extent that we actually need ad campaigns telling people not to text and drive.
This is the wisdom of the age; ours is supposed to come from somewhere else. It’s easy to pressure yourself to do as much as you possibly can. The next time you are considering taking on that “one more thing,” ask yourself (and your family!) how it will affect the people you love. Sometimes the high calling of our daily work is having the faith to say “No.”
Prayer: Jesus, help me, I pray, to see my life from your perspective. Help me to know that I am honoring you, not only when I do my job, but also when I devote myself to my family and the relationships you’ve called me to. Amen.
Author: Theology of Work Project
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Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.
