This weekend Dan & I went to Seattle. Well, I should say, we were in the general vicinity of Seattle. When asked what we saw while we were there, I had to respond that I saw a coffee shop, a Starbucks, and a hotel room. The purpose of our trip was that Dan had appointments and a seminar so we drove up there, he did his business, I read and rested, and then we drove home. Although I am quite sure there are many wonderful things to see and do there we missed all of them because we were just there to do a job...What a shame.
As I was thinking about it this morning, I was reminded of how many of us live our lives that way. We are constantly "doing our jobs" with single-minded focus. Now there's nothing wrong with being serious and working hard, but we often miss out on lots of wonderful and amazing things that God has provided for us along the way, just because we never take time to put our heads up from the grindstone and breathe! We trudge along, being efficient & getting things done, & never enjoy the journey! I am quite sure this is not how God created us to live.
I can already hear some of you saying, "But time is short and we have so much to do..." And while that is true, we function a lot better if we take some time to relax, regroup, refresh, & play. A little break from routine and business actually makes us more productive during work time.
A friend that I was visiting was actually talking about this very thing. She and her husband are starting a Sunday night potluck and game night. When she was considering it, she had the typical "no way" reaction first - I won't start my week with everything done...I will have to work harder the rest of the time...etc. But in the final analysis, they decided to go ahead with it anyway. If all we ever do is work, life is boring and we soon feel resentful, not to mention tired! Ok, so we have to work a little more efficiently and perhaps harder when we are working, but at least we will have something to look forward to - building relationships and just plain having fun! Sounds like a good trade-off to me.
Another friend was lamenting that the last time she really laughed was so long ago that she can't even recall it! Whoa! I can easily see how we get caught in that kind of rut, but is it God's way? It bring to mind the old song "Is that all there is?" If work & responsibilities are truly all there is, we are surely a bunch of miserable creatures. God says in His presence is fullness of joy...so what is that saying & how does our witness look if we never experience it? He has surely given us lots of opportunities for fellowship & fun along with the ministry He has chosen for each of us to do. We just have to look around, be a little creative perhaps, & take the time to enjoy each experience. Honestly, He won't be mad at you for a few hours here and there to stop working and take a breather...He knows how badly we all need them!
Thankfully, we are going to make another trip to Seattle in a month. I know that the work will still require time and effort. But I also intend to make sure that we are there long enough to at least do one special thing while we're up there. It may be a simple thing that doesn't consume lots of time or extra travel, but it will be one fun thing that we get to do together to build those memories & share some fun!
So what's the next fun thing on your agenda? If there isn't anything, get busy & find something to add to your schedule. You will be so glad you did, and so will everyone around you!!
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