Family First !!

I work as an RN at an agency in my hometown that sends me to different facilities around the county. I recently got to work at a facility in which people come to get help with their addictions of all types. I had been to this facility once before and found myself intrigued by the stories behind the names. All too often I am finding that we are so inundated with work that we can't and aren't allowed to take the time to sit and talk with the patients. To me, one of the biggest components of the healing process is when the patient is able to open up about what they are going through. So when I have a moment I try to say hello to all of the patients as they are walking in and out of the building. I even try to break away from behind the iron curtain (nurse's station) to try and talk with them.
So I got the chance to strike up a conversation with one man the other day that led him to open up about his situation. He was the father of several children, and he had been dealing with some addiction for a long time. He chose to come to the facility because he had been forced to do so by his wife. Well, I guess you can't say that he was forced to do so, but he was called out so to speak. He had chosen to come voluntarily on his own because he was going to lose his whole family if he didn't. Now, if you or I had been walking down the street and seen this man you would have never guessed that he had a care in the world by the way he presented himself. He was very outgoing and jovial, and he was a well kept, clean cut business man who was very successful.
So we got to talking when I had a free moment, and he told me that he had learned a tremendous amount from his experience. The big thing with him was that he admitted to himself at some point along the way that he had a problem that he alone could not solve. He wasn't delusional about his situation at all because he told me that he didn't know if all would be well when he got home. He may have lost his marriage already , but he was trying to rectify a bad situation by taking matters into his own hands. He also told me about how much he loved his kids, and they were a huge part of why he was trying to get better.
As much as he hated being away from his children for the moment he was determined to be there for them in the long run. He knew that those kids needed a father in their lives that is available to them, and as much as people want to downplay the uniqueness of the parenting roles of each gender these days he saw the importance of what a father provides for a family. He told me that he may have already lost his marriage, but he would not lose his children as well. He knew what it meant to them to have him around because of the love and support that he gave all of them. I totally believed him as I sat there listening to his story because you could see the honesty in his face. I could also relate to him on a lot of levels because I too have a few children of my own, and they mean the world to me. He was motivated and willing to work extremely hard to get better so he could return to all of them again.
There was one thing that he told me that left a lasting impression on me. We talked a bit about the life that he provided his family and the fact that it was a very good one at that. As I listened though, I couldn't help but think to myself that it doesn't matter how well off you are in this world, sin and addiction strike at all levels. It reinforced to me how much I needed to keep my priorities straight for the sake of my wife and kids so they to could have their dad around.
You know, talking with him made me also realize that none of us are above reproach when it comes to falling short or dealing with temptations and sin. What is one man's downfall may not be mine , but we all have shadows in our lives that are always with us. All we can do is admit that we have weaknesses and ask for God's love and grace to be upon us when we do fall. My other point in all of this is that we always need to be living for something other than ourselves. When we do, we are able to step outside our own box and see more clearly all that is around us. We, as father's, owe it to our wives and our children who need a servant leader to be there for them.