Choosing to Cheat

Over the last few days - I started on Friday of Memorial Day weekend - I’ve started reading a book by Andy Stanley called Choosing to Cheat. The whole premise is this idea that we have a ton of stuff in life to do, and only so much time to do it in. So, we cheat. With only so much time to spend with family, so much time for work, so much time for hobbies - in order for those things to all fit into our schedules at some point in time, something’s bound to get cheated.

The question is, what (or who) gets cheated in my life? I’d love to answer that it’s never my family that gets cheated, but they do. I’d love to answer that my job never gets cheated, but it does. So how do I mix these two hugely important things? How do I allow my family to know that I love them and still get my job done? How do I spend quality and quantative time with my family and not cheat my job out of the time and energy that I’m hired to do? And here’s the big question for me…how do I (a pastor to the young people and families in this church) not cheat the work God has ordained me to do in this church, while not cheating the work of God that he’s ordained me to do in my home?

I’m still wrestling with this, but here are just a few of my thoughts that I’ve come up with/stole/borrowed.

1) Our behaviors –> reveal our priorities –> which reveals our true values (stole/borrowed from Mark Oestreiker of Youth Specialties). The things I spend my time doing will reveal my priorities which in turn reveals my true values. It reveals what (and who) I value the most. I can’t say that I value my family, and never spend time with them. I can carry around fresh pictures on my blackberry of my two-year-old Caleb, but never spend any time with him - do I really value him? I can wear my wedding ring, never flirt with inpropriety, kiss my wife when I leave and when I get home, let her know I love her a few times a day (even put it in a text and on my Facebook status), but never spend more than one evening at home with her a week - do I really value her?

2) The work God has ordained me to do is not everything He has to get done. God did not put me in this place to accomplish everything that needs accomplishing. I can know that in my head, but do I really believe that in my actions?

3) Saying “no” to something important and of worth is not saying “no” to God. If fact, when I say “yes” to something I’m having to say “no” to something else - too often my family - also something important and of worth.
These are just a few things I’m learning (being hit over the head with).