Balance your ministries 

We tend to forget that church is not the only ministry entrusted to us by God. Parenting is ministry. So is marriage.

So is that job, etc. The moment you neglect one of them over the other, you are introducing problems that can become irreversible. Look at Adam.

Whatever blame we may heap on Eve when it comes to the unfortunate events in the garden of Eden, Adam must also have been quite the neglectful husband for his lonely wife to go off seeking comfort and the company of serpents.

Similarly, if we do not dedicate time to our children to ask questions and get answers from us, there are many serpents waiting in the canopies, for a chance to tell them their version of events.

When God makes us stewards over those innocent souls, but we bury ourselves in only one ministry – be it church or the job – we will wake up one day to some sad realities we never saw coming.

The issue of gay recruitment in schools, for example, is such a big deal now, and only children whose parents have time for them may escape unscathed.

The recruiters come into the schools with bags of money, promising a better life and more money where that came from if the children can recruit their friends. To a young person, even Shs 500,000 can sound and look like a fortune, especially if the dynamics at home favour exploitation and naivety at school.

A perfect balance is where you have time to talk and listen to your children, serve God with all your heart, be the best employee/employer you can be, and still manage to spare time for your spouse, projects and extended family.

Some people just don’t know how to multitask, and it also leaks into the way they manage life; if church ministry works, marriage has to suffer. If marriage flourishes, their church ministry goes neglected.

If they do well at the workplace, their children have to pay the price, and so on. Unfortunately, most times by the time we notice the repercussions of our lack of balance, it is too late to redeem the situation.

malita@observer.ug