Balance

a Jesus thought...
First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye. (Luke 6:42)

a Godly thought...
Holiness does not imply the eradication of normal human appetites, but their redirection and control by the Holy Spirit, as Christ is formed within. (p209 Webb)

a leading thought...
Organising is the work we do to put people and tasks together in a structure that works. (p23 Finzel)

a Dave thought...
Balancing career and family is not only about working less, writes Hugh Mackay.
THE art of integrating our working lives and our personal lives is a delicate one, because we know that getting it wrong can be bad for our relationships and our health. This is often described as the problem of "work-life balance", as if work isn't part of life.The available figures suggest that 20 per cent of employees work 50 or more hours a week and 30 per cent regularly work on weekends. Two million Australians lose at least six hours of "family time" through Sunday work, and those hours are generally not fully compensated for by time off during the week. So it's not surprising that 37 per cent of full-time workers say they would like to reduce their working hours.
At the other end of the spectrum, though, the Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us there are 1.8 million Australians who either have no work or not enough to satisfy their needs. So this story is partly about the unequal distribution of work.
It's also about choice. Plenty of people complain about being "overworked" and the very word implies exploitation, victimisation and lack of choice. But, in many cases, we do have a choice and those choices are moral as well as economic, since they affect the wellbeing of others. We choose the kind of lifestyle we want and the level of affluence needed to sustain it. We choose whether or not to send our children to an expensive private school whose fees will increase the pressure on both parents to work. We choose the extent to which we will indulge our children in material ways, where we'll go for our holidays, the kind of cars we'll drive. We even choose debt: no one is forcing us to overspend on our credit cards.

Some resent their long hours; others revel in them as a sign of success. Although extended working hours can cause relationship difficulties at home, the opposite is also true: many people who work long hours are quite frank about their preference for being in the office rather than facing tension and unpleasantness at home.
The problem of work-family balance is real, but the study of working hours doesn't just tell the story of human toil, it also tells the story of human conflict, inconsistency and irrationality. Simple answers? Never.

It is always an area that is hard to get right, and I find it interesting how many committed Salvos are work-aholics, both officers and lay people alike. Unfortunately I also see the the side effects with their children craving for their time and attention.
Personally I have the luxury of working from home but I also promise my wife to be home between 7.30-8.30 each morning and 5.30-7.30 each night and also take my family away for 2 x 2 week holidays per year. Although it is not always possible when you plan ahead it is often very doable. So this will always be a challenge to get right but it is important especially leaders not to just model a huge work ethic as a key to success in the business world but model family first as a key to success for a better society.

Just a thought.