Household of faith...family of believers. We see here that "charity begins at home" whether that home is our individual family unit, our extended family or our church family. Some people seem to think it should be everyone else first then your individual family unit.
It's commendable to want to give to those who have less than you. However, giving to others while those in your immediate circle have nothing, go without and are starved is not! This includes your time and your attention. You cannot save the world if you can't even spend time with your family...it won't work. If you are a parent who is never at home, but always out doing volunteer work, what does that say about you? What does that say about your character? It does, in fact, speak volumes about what you are NOT doing.
With all things, there must be balance. There must be time with your spouse, with your children, with your aging parents, with your other family members - in that order. Those at home should come before those outside of it. Even the richest members of society who are in the business of serving the people in their community begin at home.
Far too many families are broken today because of selfishness and self-serving behavior. Our Heavenly Father wants us to care for the world, yes, but not at the expense of those we have a "prior" commitment to. We don't need to make a showing of our good deeds - which is what many do. Flashing the cash and generously giving to others while those at home are barely getting by is NOT what God asks of us. He asks us to give what we can AFTER we have met all of our other obligations. That doesn't just mean money - it means time, love and comfort as well!
How a person interacts with their family says a lot about the type of Christian he or she truly is. Don't let it be said that you let the opportunity to share your love with those around you be lost in your efforts to show the world how much you love yourself.
