Spirituality in the Daily Grind
But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. 1 Thessalonians 4:10b-12
Serve the Lord
So many works, so little time!
I overheard a conversation where a father was lamenting that he was unable to be as involved in ministry as he would like. He has to make a living in order to feed his family so he “has to go to work.”
Though I understand this man’s desire to do more ministry outside his home, I fear we have forgotten that the Lord will be glorified when a Christian family raises its children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. He is also glorified by a father and husband who takes seriously his role as provider for the family.
Ministry, and Responsibility
Thinking that ministry is more important work than family is a biblical mistake. We have been deceived into thinking that the daily grind of working for a living is not a “spiritual” act and so it is less important than the works we consider ministry. From feeding the hungry and caring for the refugee, to loving our preborn neighbors, we seem convinced these “works” are more worthy of our time and attention than the children and family God has given us.
The Apostle Paul said it like this, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8
That sounds serious to me. Our primary responsibility is to be obedient to the Lord. At different stages in our lives, we will have different priorities. Families with children need to prioritize them.
Seasons of Life
The blessing of this is that we do have the privilege of watching our children grow and mature. In fact, part of their training may be ministry. When they are standing firmly in the faith, we are able to go and do ministry outside as He wills.
We seem to think that if we cannot do it now, we lose all opportunity. It’s a season. Ecclesiastes 3 says there is a season for everything and a time for every matter under heaven.
Every Christian has good work(s) to do according to Ephesians 2:10 and every child needs to see the example of serving God . I don’t want to discourage anyone from doing what God calls them to do, when He calls them to do it. What I hope we can all do is set our priorities according to the work God has called us to and recognize His sovereignty in the present season of life.
Though many perceive the daily grind of family life as unspiritual, the Bible clearly says that it is a God-given responsibility of parents (1 Timothy 5:8, Ephesians 6:4, Colossians 3:21). Doesn’t that alone make it a spiritual duty for us to consider the teaching and nurture of our children one of our highest spiritual responsibilities?
It is hard to teach children that God is good and worthy of honor and praise if, as parents, our priority is ministry over family.