We have all heard of living intentionally, having a purpose and purposing to do this or that. All of those things are true and good but what about being a family on purpose?
Have you ever had a house full of children sitting completely silent because of the constant attention demanded by their phones or iPads? In your house full of people, have you ever felt alone?
That’s where being a family on purpose comes in.
In our home, we have plenty of rules around our electronic devices, in fact, our kids sign contracts regarding them as well. This not only ensures what can be played on them and where they can be played but also how much time can be spent on these devices.
That being said, it dawned on me a few weeks ago that I was still longing for more family time. Even when those devices are put away, everyone still seems to always be going in different directions. Over the last few years, I have come to realize how precious my time is and I have also practiced saying “no” so much, I can do it with ease to protect the few hours of a day each of us possess and use them wisely. I live with intention, I use my time purposely.
It hit me, I needed to purpose my family too. Anything you truly want, you have to purpose to do it, right? You work harder to get that promotion, you study to get your degree, you take an extra job to pay for school, etc. You do those things on purpose for a purpose.
Maybe we should be a family on purpose? Instead of sitting there thinking “wow, we should do this or that” how about saying, on this day we WILL do this or that. We WILL have a family meeting, we WILL play games together, we WILL have a family bible study, we WILL go to this game together.
Family with purpose.
If you want your family to feel connected, you have to do the connecting. We as parents must shepherd our sheep. Just think about that, shepherds do not let the sheep simply wander all over the place. No way! The sheep would fall into a pit or get eaten by a wild animal instead, the shepherds guide the sheep along, giving them freedom in a safe pasture but still together in unity.
I think we have to get intentional about our families. While this might be some of these most difficult times of our lives, raising children, they won’t last long. In just a few years, we will be looking back wondering where all the time went. We have to purpose, we have to use the time wisely.
I want to encourage you in this New Year to set goals not only for yourself or your business but for your family. Family comes before all those entrepreneurial goals anyway, family comes before the promotions, before the degree, your family is more important than any of those things. It takes awhile for a person to realize this, but once you do, you do family on purpose.
Sarah Ann is an author, speaker and media personality committed to honesty, vulnerability and authenticity. She has a passion for empowering people who are willing to be honest and walk out life in Christ together. Sarah holds a Bachelors in Biblical Studies and a Masters in Theology and Apologetics, she also owns a clothing company, Ascent516.com and is the creator of SarahAnnSpeaks.com and the Sarah Ann Speaks Podcast. Sarah is featured daily on GEB TV.
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