When Work and Family Collide

Starting a career and a family happened nearly simultaneously for me.  I got married, wrapped up grad school, and got a "real" job on in the course of less than two years.  In my mind I wanted to be successful in these two arenas and I was going to do it right.  Some had great careers at the sacrifice of their families, but I was determined to be different... Then came the reality.  Though I knew tension existed between the work place and the home front in life, I never guessed it could be so difficult to manage in certain seasons of life.

Just a few years into our marriage, with a baby on the way, and working four to five nights a week on top normal office hours during the day something had to give.  Though we were not at the end of our rope at home, we were way out of balance and the issue was my inability to create a reasonable pace at work and home.  It was in that season that I came across a sermon series by Andy Stanley that literally changed my perspectives on work and home.  

"Choosing to Cheat" was all about the fact that you generally choose to cheat someone or something when it comes to your time.  Often, that someone or something is a family or a marriage.  The result... Well without even listening to the sermon series you know what the results are.  The messages were at once convicting and inspiring.  It gave me a new perspective on how to handle the tension between family and work.  It gave me the motivation and tools to choose family first in many ways.

There are still seasons of life where I get the balance between work and family wrong, but I've come a long way.  This is due in large part to Andy Stanley's messages. I wasn't the only one that found them helpful.  From CEO's to pastors to car salesmen, I've heard how the concept of "choosing to cheat" helped them in their quest for balance.  The series was so popular that it was released as a book.  Last month, the book came out in print under a new name: When Work and Family Collide.  

If you are like many of us that struggle to find the balance between family and work, let me encourage you to pick up a copy of the book or download the messages from North Point Resources online.  Yu and your family will be glad you did.