START THE YEAR ON THE RIGHT FOOT Pt.20
Proverbs 22: 6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
CREATE TIME FOR THE FAMILY
The nature of my ministry takes me round. When I married newly, not long afterwards, I traveled to the mission field leaving my wife behind in Lagos. I went up north. When children started coming, business continued as usual. One day, my first son( less than five years old then) had an outburst of emotion and he accused me of traveling and neglecting him and his younger brother. It touched me because I knew the young boy needed me around. It wasn't easy for me to take them round because of school but I got the message he was passing across to me and I knew God was speaking to me through him. Since then, I adjusted. Occasionally, we go out together to have holy fun. Still longing for when we'll start having vacation out of the country. Even when i had prolonged delay in Ghana due to COVID-19, we were communicating on phone though they longed for me but for health reasons. The younger boy said, "I should come down from the aeroplane". He thought Ghana was in the air. He missed my presence around the house but he couldn't express himself properly.
This is not the time to neglect your family and leave them alone. The devil is looking for children of absentee fathers and mothers because they are vulnerable. Years back, as an undergraduate, I read the book titled "God's Generals". I read the story of mighty men who wrought terrible things in righteousness but a number of them had children and wives who were bitter towards them because of neglect. Some wives of these great evangelists died in pain and some of their children weren't properly cared for. This account for the waywardness of some preachers children. They're always out there, no time for their family. Some preachers practically live on prayer mountains without their wives and children. Their children are attention starved and wives are love starved. I've seen this several times. Listen to this, you have no public ministry unless your home is intact because your home is your first and most important ministry. Any ministry you do that makes you neglect your wife and children should be checked. This counsel is not limited to those in ministry. I started from there because that's my bend.
There are career couples who neglect their children because of their jobs. They leave home early while it is dark when the children are still on the bed leaving them in care of house helps and nannies. They return while it is dark when the children are fast asleep. This is how many couples lost their children to the devil. Nothing is worth robbing you of having quality time with your family. God's design for the family is that parents ( husband and wife) will live together and have quality time with and for their children. Anything outside this is from the evil one. It doesn't mean you'll be with them everywhere and do devotion with them all day but your presence around the house and what you do is the loudest teaching and training for children because they learn from what you do not necessarily what you say. It is not enough to call them over the phone to pray and teach them the word. Show them practical Christian living by being around them. This Pharoahic system of the world want us to leave our children behind in Egypt like he suggested to Moses but we must refuse this. It is an aberration to leave your children in care of someone while you both are far away. They are God's heritage not yours and you'll give account to God someday on how you handled His heritage.
This year, hold a meeting with your spouse and reach a compromise on how those children will receive proper attention and training especially if your jobs takes your time.