I Timothy 5:8 “But if any man does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.” Spiritual leadership for a man calls for him to provide for his family spiritually, materially and emotionally. This involves a balance of time between work and family.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal titled “More Family Time Can Give Dad’s Career a Lift” relates research from the February issue of the Academy of Management Perspective about the time a father spends with his children and how it not only impacts family time, but also can enhance his career or work. The study of 970 fathers from all types of work found that more time with kids results in a career boost for most all working dads. An interesting finding also was that men are less likely than women to feel friction between work and family when they devote more time to their children. Women with children under 18 years old spend about twice as much time with their children as men (1.86 hours per workday versus 0.91 hours for men). Working fathers often get mental bonus points for helping out with the kids. Colleagues and mangers think, “good for him, he’s such a good dad, he’s making time for his kids. Is this not also a great witness and testimony? The fathers who made this priority spent an average of 2.65 hours per day with their children on weekdays. The survey also showed that more time the father spent with his children, the more likely he was to think his work also enriched his home life. More time spent with children also was associated with a lower likelihood of the father quitting his job. Another benefit was found that organizations have reason to pay close attention to how managers treat working fathers, since stronger career identities are associated with greater work effort, productivity and retention.

This is a win-win priority and a father leading his family must balance work and family every workday and weekend. Time with your children and grandchildren is required to provide them the spiritual, material and emotional leadership required in Scripture. How much time do you spend with them? More time with them will impact their lives and might even help your calling or career in life.