I have to start this week’s blog with a confession. Last week, I set a goal of being home 4 nights so that I can spend more time with my wife and daughter. Well, I didn’t make my goal. The lesson for me? Maybe I should look at my calendar and the commitments I have already made before I set goals about my time. I say that because this week isn’t looking good either. I have commitments on 4 nights this week also.

The good news? I am much more aware of how I am spending my time now and as I look down the road I can be more proactive with limiting my nighttime commitments.

Why is spending at least 4 nights a week at home with my family so important to me? Well, here is a list to help you understand my thinking:

1. My job as a middle school principal (like so many of our jobs nowadays) is pretty demanding and draining during the day. There are many days when 4:00 rolls around, I am emotionally exhausted. Then, when there are extracurricular activities or church meetings, I have to gear myself back up and go back at it. I’m not really complaining, I’m just being transparent here. When I get to go home, I get to recharge my batteries. So much stress that people face nowadays is because people don’t get opportunities to recharge. They just keep going and going and going until they either physically or emotionally break down. I don’t want that to happen to me because of the wreckage that would cause to many people around me.

2. Another reason I want to be home is a very selfish one–people inside there love me!! Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with them? Even as I write this blog, my daughter is coming in every couple of minutes to give me a kiss or just to have me watch her do something–and I am happy to oblige her! Isn’t it ironic that often we spend more time and energy trying to impress the people we work with and associate with at the expense of the people who really do love us! I’m paraphrasing John Maxwell here who has often said that he wants to be loved and respected the most by those who know him the best.

3. My last reason is that time goes by so quickly! I have had several people tell Laura and I to enjoy and savor each day with our daughter. These people aren’t saying this out of regret, but just that the days that they had with their children came and went so fast that they would love to go back and experience just one more day if they could. I heard my older brother Matt–who has three kids in the house now–talk several years ago when his kids were all very young about how he cherishes each Christmas morning with them because there are only so many more Christmas mornings that all the kids will be waking up in his house and spending the day together.

What is it that you need to start–or stop–doing today in order to disciple (yes, it is discipling) those who love you the most?

More to come…
Jeremy