We Do Family Different: Beating the Clock

Is there anything more earthly than time? Establishing a family foundation that endures is important since the framework of our lives is Time. Time is the most finite thing in life. While time can be utilized well, it cannot be stretched or multiplied. It is what it is and we must learn to live within its limitations. It is too easy to become lost in the day to day losing sight of that which binds. Before Jesus went to Heaven his final recorded prayer revealed our deep need for unity and love for each other. He knew the distractions of life can take root among members of a family, even His.

Without doubt, one of the largest obstacles to doing family God’s way is how we utilize His gift of time. Work, school, technology, sports, extracurricular activities, television and movies are just some of the pursuits families engage in today. Some of these activities are required for survival while others fill in the rest. The key to finding balance is to remember God has not called us to withdraw from the world we live in, but to shift the focus of our pursuits from temporary to eternal.

Read Psalm 37:23-24, Proverbs 16:9

Here’s a fun activity! In the space provided make a list of your family’s weekly activities and pursuits. Write an approximate amount of time spent on each activity. Begin with the activities that consume the most of your family’s week.  Once you have a better grasp on where your time is going, submit it to the Lord and ask Him about any adjustments you need to make.

Family Time Chart

ActivityTimeEnduring/TemporaryAdjustments
 i.e. Work   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Psalms 37:23, John 17:15

Father, I lift up our family to you and submit our daily activities to you. Let our steps be “established by the LORD, [as we] delight in [Your] way.” Help me raise them up in You. “I do not ask that you take [us] out of the world, but that you keep [our family] from the evil one.” Do not let us be consumed with the pursuits of this world, just as Christ was “not of the world.” Rather, I ask you to “sanctify [our family] in the truth; your word is truth,” in Jesus’ name, Amen.