Lockdown and Family Priority

Our local church leadership board recently met to discuss the return of regular worship services with social distancing measures. At one point, the issue of our children’s safety came up. After some discussion, we decided to keep families together in the worship center and not have children’s church, at least until schools open again. Then, someone wondered how our kids would handle the change and considered that after having enjoyed months of Mommy and Daddy nearby 24/7, they would actually enjoy being in church with the grown-ups like it used to be years ago, when some of us were growing up.

FAMILY HAS BEEN AFFECTED

The first half of 2020 will go down in history as one of the craziest and most challenging seasons ever. Having to stay at home for several months has affected all of us in several ways. However, did you consider that the impact may have been positive for many families, particularly those with godly and loving parents?

HOW LEADERS MAKE THE BEST OF IT

I want to invite you to consider how this time has affected your family relationship and how you can leverage the time you have left at home to build your family life even further. While some of us are going back to a more-or-less normal life, others are still facing weeks or even months at home. In either case, our families can greatly benefit from the extra time together. Here are four ways in which this extra family time is affecting our households.

1. Increased Opportunities. This time has been hard for working parents. Some have been able to set up a home office and “telecommute.” Of course, that meant doing two full-time jobs (especially for moms). This greatly multiplies contact time between parent and child – a tremendous opportunity to disciple our kids, teaching them to be godly children and even coaching them for life and leadership.

2. Amplified Conflict. Of course, any dysfunction in our relationships gets amplified by all this time together. Add the stress of job uncertainty and health concerns to the mix, and you have a formula for heartache and turmoil. Godly families need to be aware of that and manage conflicts with much prayer and Godly wisdom.

3. Increased Responsibilities. Parents and even older siblings have been faced with the task of helping younger ones navigate this crazy time. Those privileged enough to have access to their school online still need the help of adults. Healthy families learn how to share the responsibilities, so everyone’s load is a little lighter.

4. Creates Relationship Deficits. My wife and I are privileged to have spent these months very close to our children and grandchildren, but we have close friends who are unable to have that contact. Extended family is suffering with social separation. This is even harder on small children who can’t understand why everyone seems to be so distant.

So, what are we to do with these realities of family life during pandemic? God looks for men and women who make their families a priority in developing leaders. It is often in the greatest crises that the bonds of human relationships are strengthened. The best leaders will learn from this time and use it to build stronger families that honor God and serve as an example of God’s purpose for the family.