Nobody Says on Their Deathbed, “I Wish I’d Worked More”

Newsflash: nobody ever got to their deathbed, and in reflecting on their lifetime, said to themselves, “Boy, I wish I had spent more time in the office!”  No one ever said that. They said, “I wish I spent more time with family. I wish I spent more time having fun. I wish I spent more time relaxing.” They don’t say, “I wish I spent more time working.”

I encourage you to pause for a moment and consider this:

It’s already mid-summer. How have you spent your time so far this year? When you look at your calendar and your priorities, do they line up?

One of the things I found myself (and really speaking for Martha as well) is that we love to work. We could happily work all the time, but is that right? “I don’t think so, Jim!” When our kids were at home, we had to look at our calendars and prioritize our kids. We always made sure that we had dinner together. We always made sure that we had some family time each weekend. Our kids needed to know they were a priority. Now that our kids are grown and gone, we need to make sure they still know they’re a priority. So, we take time every year to visit them, their spouses, and their kids, and in-between, we make sure that we call them regularly. With our aging parents, we make sure we’re investing in them while we still can. We don’t want to get to the end of our lives and say, “I wish we hadn’t worked so much.” It’s a real danger for us.

So, what about you? As you look at the first half of your summer, were your family, spouse, and kids a priority in your schedule or just an afterthought? When you look at your calendar, what does it say about what you value? I know it’s not easy, but I can tell you this: it is worth the time and investment to re-do your schedule to ensure that your family knows they are a priority. Too many families and marriages are broken apart because our work demands too much of our attention.

The root of the destruction of our country can be directly tied to the destruction of the family over the last 60 years. Free sex, free love, no-fault divorce, and workaholism don’t lend to healthy family environments. As Jesus-followers, we know that it was God’s plan to build community around families. Is that your plan? Can you be a blessing to your community by making your family a priority?

And here’s the good news – If you need to make some changes, you still have half the summer left to do it!  Psalm 90:12 

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

For more ideas on balancing your priorities and investing well in your faith, family, community, AND work – check out our new books iWork4Him, sheWorks4Him, and iRetire4Him.

 Jim