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1.
We’re Teaching This
If you set your course in the wrong direction, you’ll end up in
the wrong place every time. No matter where you hope to end up, the road you
choose matters. The book of Proverbs gives us wisdom to help navigate the
choices of life, because we know that each choice determines the direction of
our lives. And it’s our direction, not our intention that ultimately determines
our destination. Where are you heading? What path are you on?
2.
Think About This
It’s easy—in the midst of the busy-ness and
craziness of life—to get off course. It’s easy to forget goals we’ve set and
ideas we once had of who we want to be and just keep trucking along, ticking
things off our lists and getting the next “thing” done. It’s the tyranny of the
urgent and it often keeps us stuck in the immediacy of the moment.
This can be true for our families as well, can’t it?
We start off with young children, thinking about all of the goals we have—the
values and virtues we want to instill and model for our children. And then,
life happens and things just start going too fast. And suddenly, we see road
signs—we see warnings—telling us that maybe, somewhere along the line, we’ve
gotten off course. It’s the moment we realize that though we intended to head
in one direction, our choices of what to do with our time, money, words and
actions take us in a different direction.
It’s totally normal. It’s a place most people with
children—of any age—often find themselves. And it’s a place we don’t have to
stay in.
To remedy it, it may be that the best thing to do is
to take a step back and look around. Look back at the things we had once hoped
for our families. And then, look forward towards the steps we can take to get
to where we ultimately want to go. Make a plan. Take a moment to pause and refocus—to
do a little course-correction. A small pause and a little action can go a long
way.
3.
Try This
Pick Two: Two Words, Two Rules, Two
Answers
Get your family together to try the
following:
Two Words
Together,
pick two words/phrases that you would like to describe your family. Feel free
to come up with some of your own as well:
- fun
- connected
- generous
- healthy
- less busy
- good communicators
- patient
- open to other people/families
- servants
- good stewards
Two Rules
There are two rules for when your
family does this activity.
1) Don’t call anyone out. This is not a
chance to dish, bash or point figures. It’s a chance to move forward.
2) There are no perfect answers. Just
start brainstorming and go from there!
Two Answers
1) What
is the first step you need to take to make each of the words/phrases you chose
above a reality for your family?
2) What
kind of mile markers and guardrails/boundaries can you set up as a family to
make sure you stay on course for the long haul?
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