REARRANGE YOUR PRIORITIES AT HOME

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

“They made me the keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.” SS1:6 NKJV

Bill Galston was at the peak of his career when he resigned as a domestic policy adviser to President Bill Clinton to return to teaching at the University of Maryland. His reason was “to strike a new balance” between work and family. Galston had worked more than a decade on the ideas he hoped to see come to pass. At the White House, he helped form the National Campaign against Teen Pregnancy, planned the National Service Program, and worked on Education Reform and Head Start Legislation. He consulted widely with administration officials, had an excellent reputation, and loved his job. He tried integrating time with his son, Ezra, into his schedule—even bringing him to his White House office in the evening. However, Galston was continually hounded by the fact that he often came home too tired to spend quality time with the boy. He struggled with the contradiction between his “Putting Children First” theme for welfare and the practical implementation of this ideal in his own home. What triggered his resignation? His son Ezra sent him a note that said: “Baseball is not fun when there’s no one there to applaud you.” Was that a hard choice for Bill Galston to make? Yes, but it’s one he never regretted. Question: Are you giving your family the time they need and the time they deserve? Do these words describe your struggle to balance the demands of work and family? “They made me the keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.” If this Scripture speaks to you as a parent, it’s time to rearrange your priorities at home.