How To Decide Between Family And Work

There will be times when you are going to have to choose between family and ministry. Sometimes it’s obvious, but then there are those times when you just don’t know.

If you love your family and love your job there will be times when choosing between the two is tough. There are demands for your time, and attention, which can be overwhelming. The only way to navigate through those decisions is by:

CREATING CLEAR BOUNDARIES

Clear boundaries will help you discern when you are available and occupied. To create these boundaries you need to have clear:

• Work Hours
• Family Time
• Rest/Sabbath

Build margin around those times, and be flexible. While there will be times when you need to cross those boundaries, having them laid out will allow you to get back on path. When they aren’t clear it’s easy to spiral out of control.

COMMUNICATING EXPECTATIONS

There are certain tasks, and responsibilities expected of you as a parent, spouse, sibling and employee. You might know what’s expected but those around you might not be sure.

Communicate with family and coworkers to discuss those expectations. Discuss the possibility that work will trump family time and how family time might trump work. Get their perspectives and talk about how you can balance them together.

When people are on the same page you can build trust. Trust is one of the most important tools you can have to create healthy relationships. 

INVITING IN ACCOUNTABILITY

You are not always going to be good at discerning when work or family should come first. There is a lot of pressure to be a great spouse and parent and equally the same pressure to be an incredible employee.

Find people you can go to for wisdom and insight. Ask them their opinion and invite them to tell you when you are not abiding to the right responsibilities.

There will be times when it’s clear as day what you need to choose first. But, for those times when it’s a little blurry have guardrails in place. The more you can create margin the better your decisions will be when it’s time to choose what’s most important.