Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church. …
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Character Check What does my allocation of time say about my priorities?
In Business Terms The home is the toughest environment of all for leaders. Why is it the ones we love most are the ones we are most impatient with? My wife has often said to me, “I wish you were as patient with your children as you are with your constituents.” She’s right. She reminds me that I’m accountable to God and to my family, and I’m grateful for that.
I think the greatest problem is our allocation of time, whether we let our professions work to the exclusion of our families. If our lives are going to be given only to our professions, then better we had remained as Paul said, unencumbered by marriage and family But if we do decide to marry and have a family, I am thoroughly convinced one has to set priorities as follows:
First to God. The Bible teaches us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Our second priority is to our families, because they are the gift of God to us; they are the joint effort of God’s authority working through us. Our third priority is our professions, and if we put our jobs any place higher than third place, we have our priorities askew.
I’ve tried to communicate to my family that no matter how busy I am, I am always accessible to them. That has to be communicated verbally, but also in action.
—Mark Hatfield
Something to Think About By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder—infinitely prouder –to be a father. – Douglas MacArthur
