Do you invest or diversify?

Do you invest or do you diversify? I am not talking about money. I am talking about the time that you pour into your children. Before I begin, I must tell you about the faithfulness of God. The blog that you are reading today was given to me by God to write about 3 weeks ago. I procrastinated. God has been giving me gentle reminders each week and I have responded with procrastination. He loves me despite my stubbornness and gave me another nudge this morning. During worship service, Minister McNeil challenged the congregation. He gave a breakdown on the number of hours that we spend in random activities, as it compares to the time we choose with the Lord. His breakdown of hours is something that God gave me, as it relates to pouring into children 3 weeks ago. I understood that this was not a coincidence (side note...coincidences do not exist for Christians), it was God's gentle nudging. So, here we go.....lol.....



We value and guard our time. But, when it comes to the time that we pour into our children, what is our attitude? Look at this breakdown:

There are 24 hours in a day. Therefore there are 168 hours in a week.


Here is a BASIC schedule for our children:

* They sleep 8 to 10 hours a day which equals 70 hours a week

* They are in school for 7 hours a day which equals 35 hours a week

* They groom themselves 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night which equals 7 hours a week

* They are transported to various activities on average 30 minutes a day which equals 1.5 hours a week

* They have 3 meals a day on average for 30 minutes which equals 8 hours a week(take out school lunches)

* They attend Sunday School and church service one day per week for 4 hours per week(9:30 until 1:30)


This equals 125.50 hours per week. Remember there are only 168 hours in a week. So, if you subtract their schedule from the number of hours in a week, you are left with 42.50 hours in a week or 6.0 hours a day.


My question is this, "How do you invest the rest of their time?" Are you diversifying? This means....Are you giving away their time to 100 activities leaving you with 5 minutes here and there? We need to make an investment in our children.


Our oldest daughter is very active. She is on the varsity volleyball team which is 8 hours a week. She takes piano lessons which is 1 hour per week. She is also involved in a ministry at our church which is 2 hours a week. There is also a secondary church group that is approximately 10 hours a month. If I deduct this time from our 42.50 weekly hours.......our grand total is 31 hours a week or 4.4 hours per day. This number goes down even more if you have more than one child.


OK, are you getting the picture? GUARD THEIR TIME!!!!! We have chosen to not allow our daughter to participate in every activity in the church or school. Do not misunderstand me....I think church ministry is awesome and is invaluable. I also believe that extracurricular activities are vital to future growth academically and emotionally. However, YOU ARE the number one spiritual mentor for your child....NOT THE MINISTRY LEADER!!! NOT THE PASTOR!!!! NOT THE SAVED SCHOOL TEACHER AND NOT THEIR FRIENDS!!!! Therefore, you need to pour into them constantly. It is OK to tell your church or school that pouring into your children is a priority over church or after school activities. We need to find a right balance. We only have 6 more years with our oldest daughter before she leaves for college. We want to pour into her and equip her with every tool possible. We can not do that if she is never at home.


When you are at home, let me pose a few questions?
1. Are you caught up watching your tv shows for a few hours a week?
2. Are you on the phone with family and friends talking a few hours a week?
3. Are you surfing the internet for a few hours a week?


There needs to be balance and needs to look like this......You should have your one on one time with the Lord DAILY!!! How can you pour anything out, if you have not been filled up? Then, if married, you should have your one on one time with your spouse DAILY!!!!!! If the number one earthly relationship is not functioning properly, how can you model anything for your kids? I am passionate about this because I see our families being robbed of a Godly life because of our tendency to over commit. My father always said, "Michele, everything that glitters ain't gold." This is sooo true. Just because an activity at church is good, great, and fun; does not mean that our children need to always be there. In previous posts, I have quoted Deuteronomy 6:6-9 ,"And these words which I command to you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." God has given you the responsibility to pour into your children. It is exciting that we have been trusted with such an awesome gift to raise the next generation of kingdom builders. You may be asking yourself, how do I pour into them? Where do I begin? Here are a few suggestions:
* TALK TALK TALK, Ask them what is on their mind...they just might tell you.
* Take walks or drives with them and point out God's hand in creation
* Be transparent. Tell them how you are handling certain situations as a Christian. They are watching.
* Sit and watch TV with them and talk about being separate from the world and how to do that.
* Invite school or church friends into your home and teach your child how to be a friend and hospitable.
This list goes on and on. Be your child's mentor and you will not regret it. I want to share in your journey. I am walking this just like you. Let me know how I can pray for you either via this blog or via email at michele_white@yahoo.com

As I close, I want to explain by goodbye ending. I always say at the end of the blog....Stay united and be encouraged. I want you to be united in Christ as a 3 fold cord that is not easily broken(God, Husband and Wife). I want you to be encouraged that we are all raising children together and will make a ton of mistakes. We must and will learn from each mistake that we make. Be encouraged that you are not alone.

So, I bid you goodbye.......Stay United and Be Encouraged.