My church surprised me with a three day "holiday" with my family last week. They flew me up to Canada after church on Sunday and then flew me back on Thursday so I'd be here in time for rehearsal Thursday night. It was the best mini vacation I can remember. Three days with your family when you haven't seen them in a while is heaven. Little things like walking the kids to school, seeing where Kyle works at Costco, going to the gym with my wife, watching Monday Night Football together, jamming on the guitar and bass with Braden, taking Skye and the dog on long evening walks mean so much more when you don't get to do them on a regular basis. God absolutely knew what he was talking about when he said "It is not good for man to be alone." As a man I know I am at my best when I have my family around me and when I am engaged in leading my household spiritually, physically, and emotionally. When my energy is directed towards God, my family, and my work (in that order) I am at my best. When I am away from my family, even though I try to be as engaged with them as I can through regular Skype, email, and phone calls, there is a disorder that enters my world that is difficult to deal with.
When I am alone I can get away with being less engaged, less focused, and more selfish than I would be with my family. I can stay up later and sleep in more because I don't have to get up and make lunches and help get my family ready for the day. It's just me and I can come and go as I please. When it is just me I can go to work as long as I want, as often as I want. I can work on my days off if I need too. This knowledge makes it easier for me to work less efficiently on my regular work days because I know I can always "get it done on Saturday" if I need too. When I am alone I am not as disciplined in my spiritual and prayer life. They still exist, but they do so on my schedule whenever I feel like fitting them in to my day. When I am with my family I am constantly reminded of my need for God because I am always aware of how my answers to their questions, of how my attitude in difficult circumstances, reflect to them how much God and spirituality inform my life and my opinions. When I am with my family my wife and I pray together every night. It is the last thing we do together before we go to sleep. When I am by myself it is easy to forget to pray every night; it is easy to slip into bed and be out before I know it.
So, apart from just being a great time, the last three days with my family have reminded me how important it is to continue to live the way I would live if my family were in the same house as I am.
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