Take Your Home to Work
Do you take work home? It's not always the best idea, but many of us do - or have to do that. Sometimes there's so much to get done we simply have to spend time at home on our work.
But how about taking your home to work? Do you ever do that?
I'm not just talking about calling home from time to time. I never did much of that in the past. I'd think that my employer was paying me to work, not talk to my family. And that's probably a reasonable view. But I always hold my family in my thoughts and prayers during the work day.
It's similar to how we can offer our work up to Our Lord to sanctify our work. The simplest way to do that is to say, from time to time, "All for you, Jesus." We don't have to stop and perform some sort of ceremony or take up large chunks of our day in prayer when we really should be working on some project our boss is waiting for. OK. You knew that. Just reminding you.
So with our families, we can keep them close throughout the day. Simply praying for them, in the same direct manner, would be one way to keep them close. My favorite way these days is to say a simple "Hail Mary" for each family member at least once a day. It directs my attention to each for a brief moment. Then I can put my mind back on my work. I'm sure you can think of other similar ideas.
Why do I bring this up now? I was just reading about a younger couple who worked overseas. The husband basically has a 9 - 5 job in Paris. Just like any of us, he leaves in the morning and comes home at night. The wife couldn't get a job or a work visa, so she stays home. They don't have enough money to go out on the town a lot, so, in the end, they could just about be living wherever they came from in the U.S. rather than Paris.
After a spell, in this true story, the wife says to her husband, "We had a dream of living abroad. We accomplished that. What about your professional dreams? What about mine? I don't think they'll happen if we stay in Paris." And so they return to the States.
The theme of the story was the kind of disappointing dark gloom that spreads over people who live in Paris for a spell, like this couple. The lure and romance of the City of Lights turns pedestrian as they work through their mundane lives.
But I noticed that this couple has no children. The wife's focus is on their careers. There's nothing about having a family here. And so it goes for so many couples today.
The article implies that if they had more money, they could have enjoyed Paris more. It says that if they had gotten out with Parisians more, they would have taken in the city as it really is.
Yet my reading left me with the idea that if they had children, a real family, they might not have been so bored and disappointed. They would have a real home, rather than some place they were staying in while they worked overseas.
I don't live in Paris. Most of us don't live in a glamorous romantic setting. But how blessed I am to have a home with a family!
There's an old expression, "Home is where the heart is." How true. With my home always safe and secure in my heart, I think I could live and work anywhere. And somehow it would never get boring or disappointing. That's why I cling to my family and keep them close to me in my mind and heart throughout the day.
And so I take my home with me everywhere, especially to work, each day. As for taking work home, I'm still working on keeping that to a minimum.
But how about taking your home to work? Do you ever do that?
I'm not just talking about calling home from time to time. I never did much of that in the past. I'd think that my employer was paying me to work, not talk to my family. And that's probably a reasonable view. But I always hold my family in my thoughts and prayers during the work day.
It's similar to how we can offer our work up to Our Lord to sanctify our work. The simplest way to do that is to say, from time to time, "All for you, Jesus." We don't have to stop and perform some sort of ceremony or take up large chunks of our day in prayer when we really should be working on some project our boss is waiting for. OK. You knew that. Just reminding you.
So with our families, we can keep them close throughout the day. Simply praying for them, in the same direct manner, would be one way to keep them close. My favorite way these days is to say a simple "Hail Mary" for each family member at least once a day. It directs my attention to each for a brief moment. Then I can put my mind back on my work. I'm sure you can think of other similar ideas.
Why do I bring this up now? I was just reading about a younger couple who worked overseas. The husband basically has a 9 - 5 job in Paris. Just like any of us, he leaves in the morning and comes home at night. The wife couldn't get a job or a work visa, so she stays home. They don't have enough money to go out on the town a lot, so, in the end, they could just about be living wherever they came from in the U.S. rather than Paris.
After a spell, in this true story, the wife says to her husband, "We had a dream of living abroad. We accomplished that. What about your professional dreams? What about mine? I don't think they'll happen if we stay in Paris." And so they return to the States.
The theme of the story was the kind of disappointing dark gloom that spreads over people who live in Paris for a spell, like this couple. The lure and romance of the City of Lights turns pedestrian as they work through their mundane lives.
But I noticed that this couple has no children. The wife's focus is on their careers. There's nothing about having a family here. And so it goes for so many couples today.
The article implies that if they had more money, they could have enjoyed Paris more. It says that if they had gotten out with Parisians more, they would have taken in the city as it really is.
Yet my reading left me with the idea that if they had children, a real family, they might not have been so bored and disappointed. They would have a real home, rather than some place they were staying in while they worked overseas.
I don't live in Paris. Most of us don't live in a glamorous romantic setting. But how blessed I am to have a home with a family!
There's an old expression, "Home is where the heart is." How true. With my home always safe and secure in my heart, I think I could live and work anywhere. And somehow it would never get boring or disappointing. That's why I cling to my family and keep them close to me in my mind and heart throughout the day.
And so I take my home with me everywhere, especially to work, each day. As for taking work home, I'm still working on keeping that to a minimum.
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