Together-ness: Family is Utmost

While life continues to roll around me this week I’ve come to one conclusion:

Family is utmost.

It is the most important thing in OUR ministry life. In my life right at this very moment some big things are happening, and one thing that I am pouring my heart and soul into is “family.” I don’t have kids yet, Lydia (my wife), is my family. I love her more than anything, than everything, and I never, ever want to be guilty of putting something else in this life above her (as we center our lives around God together, of course).

Here’s a few questions to ask yourself:

• What does it profit a person to gain the world yet lose his family?
• What does it profit a person to minister to thousands yet neglect her family?
• What does it profit a person to sing like an angel but never sing with his kids?
• What does it profit a person to write a timeless novel but never write a legacy with her children?
• What does it profit a person to pastor mega-churches but never cover his family?
• What does it profit a person to mentor the masses but ignore his wife?
• What does it profit a person to counsel the hurting while hurting her husband?
• What does it profit a person to sign a record deal but never record memories with his children?
• What does it profit a person to be popular on facebook but never connect her family?
• What does it profit a person to tweet hundreds of updates a day but never talk about his day with his wife?
• What does it profit a person to wear the latest fashionable clothing but never clothe her family in righteousness?
• What does it profit a person to work 60 hours a week yet never work at building relationship with his kids?

Family is utmost. It is of uttermost importance.

If you’re a minister, consider this. God wants us to be faithful in the “small” things. By small I think He also means “basic” things. Family is basic. Yet, somehow we lose focus so easily. We seem to think that family will:

• Still be there when we’re done with service.
• Still be there when we make our fortune.
• Still be there when we’ve earned our retirement.
• Still be there when we’ve beat that video game.
• Still be there when we’ve caught up on LOST.
• Still be there when we’ve planted that church.
• Still be there when we’ve written that self-help ministry book.
• Still be there when we’ve captured that once in a lifetime photo.
• Still be there when we’ve penned that hit worship song.
• Still be there when we’ve achieved OUR goals.
• Still be there when we’ve reached OUR dreams.
• Still be there when we’ve done OUR wills.
• Still be there when we’ve gained the world…

But sadly, they won’t be. And honestly, the sadness I feel is more for the family, not for the hard working motivated “minister” who can’t see past his own two hands.

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. — I Timothy 5:8