by Carmen Kamrath
You know you’ve had one. If you’re not in possession of one right now, I can guarantee you’ve had one sitting on your desk, displayed on your refrigerator, or it’s just a touch away on a smartphone app. It can be your greatest accomplishment or your constant source of guilt.
It’s—the List.
Frantic families know “the list” well, because we always have one, occasionally glancing at them, and inevitably failing at them. We attempt to do it all when it would be so much more beneficial to keep it simple. As we look at The Model portion of Lencioni’s Frantic Family, we’re challenged to work the 3 Big Questions by keeping it simple. And it all starts with context.
Winging It
Without context, we tend to wing it—you know, allow for every situation we encounter to fill itself with stress, uncertainty, anxiety and unproductive conflict. And it’s all unnecessary if we can equip ourselves and our families with the information and framework necessary to make informed and intentional decisions. This simple word, when implemented, can help families begin to turn chaos into an environment where their family can thrive. It doesn’t require perfection; it just requires a small amount of time to come up with a simple, workable plan. Context comes from answering three questions:
- Question #1: What makes your family unique? By identifying your family’s core values, what is most important to them as a family, you determine characteristics that define you as a family. Remember: Don’t go overboard! Just a few will do; choose those that are truly who you are, not who you aspire to be. From there, you want to choose a strategy—two or three purposeful decisions that drive your family from day-to-day, year-to-year. When you look at the things that are part of your routine, a theme will emerge, and from that will come your strategy.
- Question #2: What is your family’s top priority—rallying cry—right now? This can be tough for the frantic family, to narrow a long-list of priorities down to one thing. It will help to narrow the time frame for your rallying cry—what is something you want to accomplish before the New Year? Once you determine your priority, define specific and trackable activities to accomplishing the priority. But don’t forget the standard objectives that need to happen to keep your head above water—things such as health, spiritual growth, finances, etc.
- Question #3: How do you talk about and use the answers to these questions? It may seem corny, but a regular meeting to touch base on how things are going is key. Use the “red light, yellow light, green light” method to determine how you’re progressing. And keep your plan visible; display it for everyone to see and remember—simple terms and points.
The Orange Connection
Simple and strategic. These aren’t just words used at Orange, they’re values that we know make a difference in reaching families and helping children and students grow in their faith. We want to be intentional in our ministries and we also want to model for families how to be intentional at home.
Think On This
How “frantic” is your family? How can you model these principles for the families you serve? How can defining your family’s values help you be more intentional at home? In your ministry? Why is it important to remember your family’s standard objectives as you work toward a life of purpose and intentionality? What are your biggest challenges as you apply these questions and principles to your own life?
