Wrongly Dividing the World of God
by R.C. Sproul Jr.

I have just been to see my printer. I introduced myself and told him I wanted to put out a newsletter. He was patient with me when it became apparent I knew nothing about how to do this. "I just write and edit," I told him. "I don't' know how to do the rest of the stuff."

Upon my arrival home, now about twenty minutes ago, I found out this newsletter will not be my only new creation. It seems God has determined to bless with a child. Here, with a new baby, I don't have the freedom I had at the printer's shop. I can't cop out and say " I don't know how to do this part. I did my job. I'll hunt, you nurture. I understand the work part of my job, you handle the family part."

Our tendency is to compartmentalize our lives. Over here is that sphere of my life called family. It includes the relationships I have with my wife, my children, and to some lesser extent my parents, siblings, cousins, etc. And this other slice of my life if my work, what I "do." There are other slices, church, entertainment, friends. But the important thing is to keep the divisions pretty clear. We think that by dividing our life up into manageable pieces we will be more efficient. Or to put it another way, we tear our lives apart in order to keep it all together. Silly isn't it?

But it gets worse. Families themselves have to be sliced up. Dad has has his work, his play, his church (or parachurch), his friends. Mom has her work, her play (though usually not as much as the rest of the family) her church (or women's circle), her friends. And the kids have their jobs (like staying out of trouble, and maybe if you're an archaism, keeping their rooms (which are more like tiny little homes in homes) clean), their play their church (or youth group), their friends (those you know about and those you don't).

I want my family to be a family. Together we have one job, to build Christ's kingdom. Together we play. Together we worship. And together we befriend other families, as families. Our language should reflect that goal. My wife is not having a baby, we're having a baby, all four of us. I don't "work" while my wife eats bon bons. Together as a family we work to provide for our family's needs (though with different roles). Together we work to plant a church and start a study center, and to give birth to a newsletter (though with different roles).

We need to be families for family values, not husbands for family values. Let's not tear assunder what God has put together.