FamilyPrøve

### Career and Family To demonstrate the importance of the big things in life a teacher once placed two-inch rocks in a bottle. To these, he added smaller pebbles. Just when it seemed that the bottle was full and there was no more room for anything more, he sprinkled handfuls of sand into the bottle. The big things in life are God, our family, and health represented by the rocks. The pebbles represent our job, house, and friends. The sand represents those things that are not as important as the others. As a musician, I needed to put in long hours to be excellent. This sometimes puts a strain on my relationship with my husband and family. While it took a few years for my husband to understand the importance of my career, we concluded that our relationship was of paramount importance. We drew up a routine to be followed and listed out the necessary sacrifices to be made which would allow for quality time with each other. We also cut out all that we deemed unnecessary to our calling. How did the proverbial woman manage her family and career? One of the things that stands out starkly in Pro 31 is that her husband ‘trusts’ her (v 11). Without trust, there is almost nothing to build on. Decisions that are based on trust form the bedrock of a good relationship. The godly wife decides to do her husband good and not harm him all her life (v 12). We may test any course of action based on this principle – ‘If I do or say such a thing, will it harm or help my spouse?’ In a world where marriages (even Christian ones) are crumbling, there is a need for us to know that they are eternal principles that God has created for us to live by. What a relief! We don’t have to run the rat race and be overwhelmed by the pressures of life. We worship a living God Who cares for us and if we take the trouble to do what is written for our benefit, we will discover a way that actually works! Dear Lord, help me to make decisions today that will help my spouse trust me. Help me exercise wisdom and patience in difficult circumstances. Amen.