When Your Core Function Gets Lost In Novelty

“In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.” - 2 Chronicles 31:21

Frontier Airlines’ “Woody the Wood Duck” carried me safely to Nashville, Tennessee for the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Convention last week. My kids love the fact that Frontier not only puts animals on their planes, but also names them and has the flight attendants announce to passengers which animal is escorting them to their destination. It is a fun novelty that goes a long way with kids.

Once in Music City, I was blessed with the opportunity to stay in a hotel with a lot of novelties as well. The Gaylord Opryland Hotel was home for five days.

There are several Gaylord hotels around America, and they are absolutely gorgeous. Each is unique in its details, but all boast the trademark Gaylord Atrium, enormous glass domes that allow natural light to nourish acres of live plants inside. Water flows among the trees and flowers in a river that you can actually take a boat ride on. The Gaylord in Dallas has live alligators in one of the ponds, and the hotel in Orlando contains a real sailboat (permanently anchored) that you can board for dinner. With every turn, your senses overflow with rich colors, scents, textures and sounds.

However, when you strip away the novelty of the fine food, the soothing music, and the ducks swimming in the river, you are simply left with a hotel. This is the true function of the facility. Unfortunately, they don’t do a very good job at being a hotel. They excel at creating an enticing atmosphere in the public parts of the hotel, but at the expense of providing an equal experience in the guest rooms. The indoor boat ride loses some of its luster when you can’t get enough towels in your room, or your sheets have holes in them, or room service trays litter the hallways because they don’t get picked up regularly. No one cares about the bells and whistles when the room is dirty or inadequate.

The same is true for our family lives as well. The décor of our homes, the clothes we wear, and the dishes we serve meals on are all appreciated and valued when our families are functioning well. However, if tension, discord or pressure live within our walls, no one really cares if you change out your candles for each season or put new flowers in the pots on your porch. The occupants of a home really only care about how it looks when they first like how it feels.

How is your family feeling? If everyone is happy, getting along well, and growing, then celebrate by getting out some fall décor and announcing the change of season. However, if all is not well, skip the decorating and save your energy and focus for your key function – developing your family.

If you need to let Halloween go unnoticed this year while you strengthen family relationships, don’t worry. Christmas will be here before you know it, and your healthy family will be ready to celebrate.