Doing Good to Your Family
Posted by Bob Johnson on July 7, 2008
I subscribe to a blog on pastoral leadership called “Monday Morning Insight,” by Todd Rhoades. Today’s edition struck a “do good” nerve.
Noting how many pastors fall because their family life is not healthy — we pastors are often guilty of doing more good to the church than to our families — Todd offers a web-site with ideas for doing good to your family. (If you’re interested, you can find the web-site here.) The ideas he offers are great ways for any husband/father to “do good” to his family, not just pastors. (I think they’ll work, with modification, for working women, too. But I’m not experienced in that field!) Here are some of the ideas Todd suggests, which I’ve modified to apply to anyone, pastor or not:
• Come home at the exact time you say you will be home; and prepare your heart to serve your family, not be served.
• Share with your wife and kids some of the good things that are going on at work, and then thank them for helping to make that possible.
• Give your wife flowers and a hand written card when she least expects it.
• Schedule a weekly time where you watch the kids and your wife gets out to do whatever she wants—not errands. When you can, give her a whole day off from the kids.
• Leave work at work so dad can be dad at home.
• Pray for your family and with your family.
Doing good in our families is one of our most fruitful fields. Give some of these ideas a try and leave a comment about how it turned out.
Bob said
Bob,
Great job on Sunday! You’re tying the 3 Rules to salvation was very important.
When anyone talks about “rules”, I am reminded by the comment someone once said that, “Rules without relationship create rebellion.” I believe that to be true in all situations, whether they be parent to child, boss to subordinate, or God to his children. Without a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ, the 3 Simple Rules will never have their maximum effectiveness. This thought led me to the following thought.
In comparing “Almost Christian” to “Altogether Christian” you reminded me how much spirit of intent, or motivation, plays in our efforts to do good. If our motivation is out of love for Jesus Christ, then everyone involves wins; the recipient, the benefactor (who coincidently stores up treasure in Heaven), and the world. The biggest bang for the buck is that God is glorified at the same time.
The same benevolent act done with the wrong motivation still results in the recipient benefiting, the benefactor may receive some applause here on earth (but that’s the extent of the reward), the world my still benefit, but God is not glorified.
These are the thoughts you stimulated this past Sunday. I am looking forward to this coming Sunday.
God bless you.
Fred