I’m a bad parent
Well, I’m not exactly a parent, but I do sponsor three kids with Compassion (you should too, by the way). I realized that I’m a bad “parent” today. See, I was walking down the street and the iPhone told me that it was my day to write them a letter. I’ve been pretty poor about doing this lately. The past few times, I’ve gone to Compassion.com and “e-mailed” them, but you know, it’s just not the same to the kids as receiving an honest-to-goodness letter.
I was trying to figure out what changed. Why have I gone downhill in this area that I used to excel in. Do I have too much on my plate? Am I over-committed? The truth is, I’ve been too absorbed in my life to care about theirs. That’s a pretty bitter realization, a hard pill to swallow.
As I began pondering this more and more, I kept thinking about that old adage, that “anything worth doing is worth doing well.” I don’t want to half-heartedly do anything. So, do I have too much on my plate? Do you have too much on yours?
Well, as it turns out, I have allowed my work to overpower everything else. God has called me to release children from poverty, but I have allowed my job to steal that. Notice that the blame is placed firmly on me. I’m not working more because it’s expected of me - it’s just because I do. I have set firm boundaries in the amount of time I spend at the office, never more than 40 hours a week unless a major emergency comes up. However, with computers, the office comes easily to my living room. So, I’m actually working 60-80 hour weeks.
Here’s my recommendation to myself, and to you. Leave work at work and don’t spend too much time there. Meet and exceed the requirements of the job, but realize that you’re no good to anyone if you burn out. If you’re single, like myself, consider this time preparation time for having a family. The habits you form now will most likely stick with you.
