Family Time
Time management has long been a struggle for me. I know that God doesn’t give me more to do than I can do, but I have always had a hard time balancing the many things I need to do and want to do. In Ephesians Paul wrote:
Therefore be careful how you walk,
not as unwise men but as wise,
making the most of your time . . .
Ephesians 5:15-16
Making the most of my time–that is exactly what I want to do. A reader wrote to me, saying that she enjoyed the painting that illustrated yesterday’s post about the blessing of children being at home. I decided to search for other paintings of families, hoping to find some that would illustrate some of the sweet ways to spend time at home.
One of the things I liked best about the painting that I showed you yesterday is that the people weren’t wealthy and the house wasn’t perfect. Let’s look at it again. One of the pictures on the wall is crooked. The chair is overturned. Stuff is lying on the floor. Clothes on the dresser have not been put away, but the mama is able to sit in the midst of this scene, paying no attention to her to-do lists. She simply relishes the moment of her baby’s first step.
Many paintings of families illustrate people with great means because those are the people who could afford to have artists paint their portraits. When I searched for paintings for today, I found one with a very different setting from yesterday. The people in this scene are wealthy. The room is perfect. The drapes are rich. The rug is expensive. The family’s clothing is fine.
However, they are spending their time doing the same things a much poorer family might do. What I love is that they are being a family. They are together. They are at home. As we thought about yesterday, home sweet home is a grand place to be, whether the home itself is humble or grand.
I was able to learn about this family on the Metropolitan Museum’s website. Let me introduce you to the Hatch family. Alfrederick Smith Hatch was a prominent stockbroker on Wall Street in the late 1800s. He served briefly as president of the New York Stock Exchange from 1883 to 1884. This painting depicts three generations of Hatch’s real family in their library.
Hatch sits at his desk to the right of the center table. He turns and looks at his father who is reading a newspaper. Hatch’s son stands beside the red sofa on the left side of the painting; he looks at his father. These male family members from three generations connect with one another. The youngest looks to his father who looks to his.
Grandmother Hatch, who sits knitting beside her husband, and Mrs. Hatch, who is standing beside the mantle, look toward the center where a young daughter holds her newborn sibling. A toy lies overturned at her feet. Toddlers stand close to their mother. One holds onto her skirt.
An older sister reads by the fireplace. Two little ones play on the floor at her feet. Two children sit huddled together at the center table and another son is occupied with something interesting on the sofa.
Of the many ways we can choose to spend our time, family time is one of the best things we can do for our children, for ourselves, and for our parents.
Therefore be careful how you walk,
not as unwise men but as wise,
making the most of your time . . .
Ephesians 5:15-16