"Excellent job, Tom", the chief praised at the conclusion of the house fire. "Great radio communication on benchmarks, progress, needs; perfect balance between what's been done and the foresight for what needs to be done soon."Tom's stomach sank. "Communication" was the title of the drawing he found on the table a few mornings ago. It was a picture of two people standing together, the woman's words "You never listen to me anymore!" in a bubble that popped as they ran into a wall separating the two. She was right. He was never home to be with her. Part-time work was prospering and always took more time than he planned. How could he be so good at communicating at work, and be so lousy at home?"In pursuit of the good life, most men leave a trail of broken relationships. No amount of success at the office can compensate for failure at home." (Pat Morley) Why do we have a hard time managing our family time? One thing we must consider is the never ceasing attacks from Satan. He would like nothing more than to put wedges between family members. He is the Big Bad Wolf that constanly huffs and puffs on our houses. His goal is to pull us away from God, thus diluting our effectiveness and fulfillment in our relationships. Another consideration is the battle for our time. The worldly influence is to pursue more and more "stuff": more possessions, more power, more money. This "pursuit of the good life" takes time. We will also find that it takes our energies, our minds, and our decisions if we are not careful. In recognizing the influencing factors that tear our relationships down, we need to be active in building them up. How? We can start by analyzing ouselves as men. We need to put higher value on our relationships and get away from the macho value of accomplishments. We are not bigger men because we master bigger achievements. We must conquer the temptation to be self-centered and learn how to serve others. "For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 2: 21) "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2: 4,5)In talking about our identity problems we found that who we really are is the person that we are behind our closed doors at home, not at work. We take off our masks at the door and become the real "me". We find ourselves being grumpy, insensitive, and selfish creatures to our families. Then we blame them for us being like we are. It's time we stop blaming them for our problems and let God empower us to take responsibility for our families. Satan wants us apart. God wants us together to bring glory to Him. Granted, God may say "no" to some relationships and they will be abandoned to better serve His perfect will. But while we are still yet in relationships each member must recognize Christ as the glue that holds us together. With all members actively seeking Christ, the devil may not have his way. So then "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4: 7) To God be the glory.Next week: Children: How to Avoid Regrets.
