Focus

How much does your work life affect your home life? I'm trying hard tonight, and praying harder, to keep them separated... but the financial part of my brain is wanting to drift into tomorrow and formulate an attack plan for maximum gains! How many people will we see? What will they be interested in? Will our outreach program remain as successful as it has always been? The problem here is that when I think on these things, I neglect the time that I have with my wife and children. And, in case you're wondering, my first job as a husband and father is to NEVER neglect my wife and children.

The irony in all of this worry is that I am constantly telling my wife that worry is irrelevant and unnecessary. I stand firm on the belief that worry serves no purpose at all, for what is going to happen is STILL going to happen... whether you worry about it or not. I think back to a book I read about escaping the "disease" of worry (as the author put it), and the verse he cited from the book of Matthew.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:34

And then I try to console myself with fantastic visions of what could be, if the circumstances all went in my favor. I think of amazing achievements in the workday, increase in financial blessing, and the ability to free our family of any remaining debt within the next 7 months. (Figuratively, of course... I mean... it's not like I sat down for three hours one day and calculated with exact precision how quickly we could be out of debt or anything...)

A prudent man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
Proverbs 17:24

But these flights of fancy take me nowhere but back to square one. And there I sit, not playing with my small children and enjoying time with my wife. Not focusing on the fact that their formative years are passing by so quickly, and these are the times when I should be the most involved. Not paying attention to the house work, assuming that it will somehow just "get done." And worst of all, not giving the honor to my wife that is afforded to all working moms; a little time to relax in peace and quiet.

What do I have to show for all of this??? Nothing but wasted hours. Time, which waits for no man, is literally just flying by me. And I am allowing the most precious moments of my life as a father to slip away with it.

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Matthew 6:27

If I could say one thing about this tonight, it would be this... turn your phones off when you come home. The office will still be there tomorrow, and I would bet that there isn't much you can do after you've left for the day to increase your already-completed productivity. Spend time in prayer tonight, and commit to setting time aside when you get home. Be intentional about it, and let nothing stop you... because the enemy is that persistent, and we should be, too!!!

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and all your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:3

God bless you!!!