Valentines Day
“Happiness is not a reward: it is a consequence. Suffering is not a punishment: it is a result.”
Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)
American politician and orator.
I was thinking about you this morning and the reality that Valentine’s Day will be upon us in just a few more days. I was recently speaking to someone about the life of the average YMCA staff person and how hard-working, self-sacrificing, and others-oriented you most often are. You typically work long hours and put personal needs aside to accomplish all the work that is on your plate. It is my observation that far too often this means you sacrifice personal relationships.
It was indicated in a Zoomerang survey on YMCA marriages taken a couple of years ago that only 42% of spouses said they “absolutely” support their spouses commitment to the YMCA, and only 32% felt that the YMCA helped make their family strong like we promote we do for everyone else’s family.
This e-mail may seem more directed to those of you who are married. However, its message is also aimed at people who may or may not be dating. Make sure you keep sacred those relationships that are important to you! In the end, those relationships refresh us personally and enable us to do the work we are called to professionally.
I want to encourage you to be intentional and take advantage of February 14th and do something special for your loved one. We work for the YMCA because we believe in our mission, but if that mission is not filtering through to you, your marriage, and your family I fear the price you will one day be required to pay will be more than you bargained for.
Stay tuned for more thoughts on Valentines Day!
Love – it really is the sweetness of life; protect it at all costs!
God bless and Happy Valentines Day
Rev. Jay
Jay Lippy is the Executive Director of Mission Focus and Christian Emphasis Director for the Tampa Metropolitan YMCA. He can be reached jaymissionfocus@aol.com and on his profile page here.
Comments
I think this is great advice Jay. I was recently sitting with a YMCA co-worker who was married this last year. I asked him what his plans were for Valentine’s Day for his new wife and made sure he understood the “rules” men play under for the holiday as I have been married for 5 years. He had it under control, but my point is that I think all of us should use our influence as supervisors or co-workers or friends to emphasize family as a priority year around. Don’t leave it to a “self-audit” and hope our staff understand that. That advice also doesn’t have to come for a devoational or “spiritual leader.” We are great at encouraging and training staff for better programming at our YMCA’s, but lets make sure we are also prioritizing home life and take a personal interest in our staff and co-workers, which means caring about the relationships that our important to them.
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