Thank you for visiting. We trust that you have enjoyed reading our articles.
Five Keys To Balancing Home And Work To Be A Good Parent
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV).
Most, if not all, of us have a job in order to supply for the needs of our family. Hopefully you enjoy your job but at the end of the day, you are working to provide for your family. We often feel the struggle between balancing work life and family life. As such, our work may sometimes cause us to miss ball games and other events and we’ll feel guilty that we’re not being a good parent. I have gathered five keys to help you balance your home and work life and be the parent that God has called you to be.
Focus on being a Godly parent. Children are always watching their parents and they put much more importance on actions than words. One of my favorite sayings is from St. Francis of Assisi: “Speak the gospel wherever you go and use words when necessary.”
You cannot lead somebody to a place where you are not. Complete and honest self-examination is one of the most difficult things that we can do. However, it is necessary to do this so we can continue to grow in our relationship in Christ. We must continually examine and then prune ourselves. We should pray for each day to grow closer to Christ by allowing the Holy Spirit to remove more of yourself from your soul and allow more of Christ to fill the void.
Remember the First Commandment. We know that we are not to have any gods before God. However, work and home life should not be put before your spiritual life. Matthew 6:24 tells us about the dangers of trying to serve two masters.
Pray for discernment. A life out of balance is often due to us trying to lead God and not following. We can seek discernment from prayer, Christian friends, local pastor and The Bible.
Raise your children right. We all love our children, but we must be careful not to spoil them. They need to see that in our words and actions, we are putting God first, spouse second and children third. Scripture reveals that our primary responsibility is to train our children to honor God and follow His teaching. Proverbs 7:2 reads, “Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.”
Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for being our Father. Help us to find balance in our lives. Amen.
Meet the Author
Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
We welcome your comments below.
Liked this post?
Read more below or search for more topics...
-
Purpose
Purpose “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3 NIV). Planning is critical in life. Financial planners help us get our financial matters in order and plan for retirement. Doctors help us by establish a wellness plan when we are sick. Business leaders make plans to bring a profit to the shareholders. Our pastors help us to make plans that will bring honor and glory to God. We plan to accommodate our priorities. A priority is a value, goal, relationship, or cause of leading importance in your life: something for which you live, the shaping... -
Seek Unity Not Uniformity
Seek Unity Not Uniformity “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so, the body is not made up of one part but of many” (1 Corinthians 12:21-31 NIV). All members of most sports teams wear a uniform. This designates they are a part of the same team. However, each member is not uniform in terms of their role or skill on... -
Run, Don’t Walk!
Run, Don’t Walk! “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7 NIV). As a child, I reminder being told to walk and not to run. Today, many of us use the expression, “I am going to run to the store.” In fact, we are going to get in our car and drive to the store and then walk in to shop. I see many more walkers than runners in my neighborhood. I prefer to walk than to run but sometimes in life we need to run. Running is great for exercise,...