A greedy man brings trouble to his family. Proverbs 15:27 (NIV)
I have been on my soapbox lately. I am known as an opinionated person. I always have an opinion about everything. I often make rash decisions based on instinct or gut feeling. Sometimes I am wrong and have to eat my words later. But, there is one thing I believe strongly and will never fail to express whenever I find the opportunity; family takes priority over work. In my department, we are in the busiest part of our year. In Florida, winter is a hectic time for most businesses that rely on tourism. Though I am a government employee, my line of work, history museums has its largest attendance in the winter season. Partly it is due to winter visitors, but school children on field trips give us a reason to open up each day as well. The bulk of our special events also occur in the colder months. So, for us, staying late, working on holidays, coming in on weekends, and skipping lunch, become the norm this time of year. I monitor employees’ time cards, reminding them to not work more than the forty hours for which they are scheduled. They may think I am cheap and do not want to pay them overtime. In reality, I want them to take some time to spend with their families. I believe strongly that time at home makes for better workers. A happy family is a happy employee. One employee is a workaholic. He does not like to delegate preferring to do everything himself rather than take a chance that it will not be done his way. I will have to force him to take some time off before his wife gets angry with him. Another employee has not taken a real vacation in years. I make suggestions for trips, practically planning them for him. Still, when he finally takes a day off, he spends it mowing his grass rather than take his wife out of town. It is not just the men who work too long and too hard. While women will leave on time in the evening because of family responsibilities, they are prone to take tasks home or come in early to complete the goals they have set for themselves. I urge them all to go home and have fun. Take your kids to a movie. Go for a walk with your spouse. Eat dinner out. Cook on the grill. Read a book together. Play a game. Take time out. There are lots of things that they can do besides their job! Some people work too much because they want to make more money, but I think many people overwork because they want the feeling of power that they get from being solely in control. Whether we are greedy for cash or for authority, working too much and ignoring our families is a recipe for disaster. Evaluate your priorities. Put your family first, only behind your love and obedience for God. Your family will thank you for it.
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