Time for Family

 

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31:28-31 ESV).

 

Continuing our look in the use of our time, as well as honoring mothers on this day, I have attached a picture taken on Halloween, 1984. In this picture, Mary is dressed as the “Mary” from Mary Had a Little Lamb fame. She’s got her “lambs” with her as well as a stuffed lamb to complete the motif. From left to right it is Kyle (the Karate Kid); David (Cherokee Chief); and, Aaron (a clown). I am sure that she was responsible for all of the costumes, as well as the festivities to follow.

 

As is true with most moms, she was responsible for many things in our family. There were times she was educator, safety instructor, business woman, nurse, housekeeper, and at least a dozen other titles and tasks. Perhaps that’s what Solomon was referencing in our reading today when he described this blessed woman with: Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all” (v. 29). I have often marveled at her ability to juggle so many responsibilities at one time so well. That is true of many of the moms I know.

 

But then that’s the nature of allocating time properly. Family is important. In fact in my understanding and practice, priority to family is the essential of a life well lived. I suppose I could spend pages writing more detail about making family our priority, though I will refrain and simply refer you to my book, A Time to Laugh and a Time to Cry. Without that, let me make a few suggestions:

 

§  Plan for family time. I have found that without a specific plan, we may often fritter away what time we actually have to spend. Keep a centrally located calendar so everyone can be informed about activities and schedules.

§  Schedule regular family meals. For us it was always Sunday lunch. Some of those times we ate at home, while others were spent together in a restaurant. I cannot overemphasize the sacredness of this time.

§  Build sports schedules around the family. We must not stop our family in favor of a sport.

 

Use today as a reminder to make your family the priority of your life; and, make sure you reflect this in your time.