It is possible to live without thought or intention with regard to your household, but it is unlikely that you will and your household will live well. Competing demands will often leave the matters of your household isolated and neglected unless you make intentional efforts to lead them and yourself toward some vision of health and functionality. The financial health of your household is only one component of a healthy household, so working hard and long hours is unlikely to produce everything you may dream of on the family scene.
Family is about relationships. And relationships require time, thought, prayer, and intentional and sometimes spontaneous action. Getting to into the activities just mentioned though will require that you set aside the time, create the margins, and decide to say “no” to some things, activities, and people to be able to invest in your family. Intentionality can nurtured by creating the space for outside inputs–a book, a talk, a DVD; something new from the outside that creates a new perspetive or a place to stand so that you view your household and yourself from a new place. Recently I read 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families. Covey as you may know is all about intentionality or as he writes, “Being proactive.” Covey highlights ways we can begin to act proactively toward building up our households and creating the space where the members of our household know they are valued and loved.
