Today we have a guest post by Jenny Nanninga of The Sweet Stuff :
A woman’s work is never done. Can I get an amen?
However, a woman is not required to do it all alone. We often try to shoulder all of the responsibilities. We find ourselves picking up toys that we didn’t play with and washing plates we didn’t eat off of. Much of that is good: a calling, a form of servanthood.
We must be careful, though. We don’t want our one-woman-show and our efforts to be super-mom to divide our family or to create children who expect work to be done for them. The Bible stresses the benefits of teamwork.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9)
Even though my children are young, I want them to feel that our family is all in this together; we are a team.
That means sharing responsibilities, toys, sorrows and joys.
Husband and Wife as a Team
These lessons began when our toddler began demanding to have “Daddy” or “Mommy” bring the milk or take her to the potty. We sat our daughter down and told her that Mommy and Daddy were a team. Sometimes Mommy did things and sometimes Daddy did them. We cited from Gensis, “the two shall become one,” and helped her to see that when we take turns caring for her, we are a team.
It took a few weeks of reminders, but soon our toddler began reminding us that we were a team! What a beautiful concept for a child to learn. She is learning what Genesis 2:18 teaches when is tells us God made woman, “. . . a helper suitable . . .”.
Parents and Children as a Team
The concept of teamwork was then extended to our children during clean up times and chores. While I unload the dishwasher, my three-year-old puts away the silverware and in a sing-song voice declares, “We’re a team, mommy!”
Whether we are cleaning up or waiting patiently for a much slower sibling the concepts of teamwork can be applied. What a blessing this can be to our home life, if our children (led by the example of their parents) can understand and appreciate the importance of each person working with and for the others.
How to be a Team
A family is a team.
Each member must contribute their efforts and talents toward the common good of the family.
Just as the church, “has many parts, but one body” (1 Corinthians 12:20), so does a family.
So, what are the strengths and weaknesses in your family? How can each members’ strengths be used to aid the others’ weaknesses?
How can you begin working together as a team to create a united atmosphere in your home?
Begin today! Make a slogan or a chant if you have little ones. Look up scripture about working together with your older children and, most importantly, draft your spouse to the team and begin your training so that you may model teamwork in the home.
Remember, even The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are a team.
Follow their lead.
You don’t have to do it all alone.
