I am a multi-tasker. I brag about being able to juggle more than one thing at a time. And I am not unusual. Many in our culture feel the same way. We like being able to spin lots of plates. In fact, we value that skill above many others. It makes us feel important.

And right now, our entire society is spinning plates as fast as we can. Almost overnight, we have become twirling experts and we are doing it all from home. For part of the day, we wear our “business suits” and accomplish our work requirements. Then we slip on an academic robe and become professors of physics, history and English literature for our kids.

Because we take to heart our responsibility to keep everyone happy, we might sneak off and return at the speed of sound with our superman (or woman) capes on and start the entertainment portion of the day. Soon that “moment” morphs into dinner time and we don our aprons and become a short order cook for a picky household.

We have all become experts at multi-tasking and it is taking a toll on our families.

So maybe just for a few moments, let’s all stop and think through what the Lord has for our family this week. Yes, the adults need to work. And yes, the kids need to be taught. Beds and meals should be made. But let’s not miss the most important job for a modern plate twirler.

Jesus highlighted this important truth in Matthew 22 when He answered one of the Pharisees. The religious ruler asked, “What is the greatest commandment in the Law?” And Jesus answered (in Sherry’s paraphrase), “Love the Lord with everything you got. And love everyone you know with that same zeal.”

Love the Lord. Love your family. Love your neighbors. Love your co-workers. It is pretty straightforward.

So, this week, go ahead and do your work with excellence. Teach the kids as best you can. Cook decent meals and clean the house when necessary. But along the way, love people. Really love them.

Take time to laugh. Be kind. Show some patience. Throw in a little silliness. Read together. Memorize some scripture as a family. Take a walk. Bake cookies for a neighbor. Pray for someone at work.

Love them. Love them all. Because love covers a multitude of sins. And right now, there is a lot of that going around (we call it multitasking).