Family is your first ministry. This is what many of us have heard time and time again in our ministry journey. I absolutely stand behind this statement. We have to make sure that our family is being prioritized. They are the best picture we have of what successful ministry looks like. Paul says:
1 Timothy 3:4 NIV
4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect.
This passage shows that it is a must, if we are going to lead in ministry, that our family is in order. However, I would like to just throw out a thought that may help us have a slightly different perspective on this age old saying.
I feel as people often make it an either or scenario. I either devote my time to ministry OR I devote my time to my family. How often have we heard someone say they are stepping away from ministry to focus on their family. By no means am I saying this is unbiblical or wrong. I am just not certain that one has to be gone in order for the other to prosper.
Throughout our life God will call us to many things. He will give us many opportunities to trust Him and we will have to make a choice whether we will or won’t. However, I am not confident God asks us to take the weight on of prioritizing one of the callings He has placed on our life over another one. All that He has called us to do, we are capable of doing. Therefore, it shouldn’t be an “either or” but a “both and”. We can accomplish all that He has called us to.
So how is it we do this? Well I’d be lying if I said I had that all figured out. Here is where my head is at the moment on this topic: It isn’t balance it’s seasons. I believe God desires there to be seasons for everything. We can see this here:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
3 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
In other words, there will be times where everything is being sacrificed for family. They are the number one priority. There will also be times where family time needs to be sacrificed for ministry. In this challenge, we have to hold onto the faith that God is big enough to look after a calling He has given us, while we pursue another calling He has placed on our life.
Again I am not claiming to have all (or any) of the answers on this idea. This is just where I am at in my walk with God at the moment. I’d love to hear where you stand on this topic. Please let me know down in the comment section!