Unmasking the Illusions in Your Life?

By Pastor Rey Diaz

I lived under an illusion for the majority of my life. The illusion was that I could work 60, 70 or even 80 hours a week and my family would be fine.  So I did.  For much of my life I worked under the assumption that I had to put work first and that my family would ‘understand.’  I would pray to God and ask him to make my family understand.  All the while, I would declare to all who would listen that my family was the important thing in my life. 

But it was an illusion.  My actions were not coherent with my words.  My actions communicated something else completely: “You are important.  But my work is more important.”  Again I would never say that but that is how my family processed my actions.  And because my family loved me they were willing to put up with whatever – missed dinners, canceled appointments, late nights, or working during the weekends.

The problem with this situation is that no matter how willing my family is, eventually their physical, emotional and relational weakness will overcome their mental willingness.  And sooner or later, they are not going to be able to handle it.  And when this happens families are shattered.  Marriages are ruptured.  Relationships are fragmented. 

You see, we can’t have it both ways, which is why God is asking us to choose our family instead of our job.  Jobs can come and go.  But our family won’t.  You can repair and fix and restore areas in the work department, but it is harder to do that with families.  Which is why we have to choose to cheat at work and not at home. 

We have to learn to cheat the right place and the right time.  Home is never the right place or the right time.  Daniel was in this same situation where he could either cheat God by obeying the king or cheat the king by obeying God.  Daniel chose to honor God and God honored him.  If we choose to honor God by focusing on our families, God will be faithful to us. 

So where are you cheating? Does your family feel cheated?