Life is a blur

Life is a blur. Too often.

When I was a kid I remember sitting in class and watching in the second hand on the clock crawl. There seemed to be an eternity between the clicks. Those days are gone. Long gone.

I can’t believe September is half over.
I can’t believe 2006 is already in it’s fall season.
I can’t believe I’ve been married for 18 years.
I can’t believe I’m turning 39 (GASP!) next week.
I can’t believe both my kids are teenagers.

It’s the grind of daily living that seemingly accelerates life. There seems to be so much to do and so little time to do it, never mind having time to watch the seconds tick off the clock.

It has been pointed out that one of the hallmarks of this period of history is the unprecedented busyness of people’s lives. More responsibilities, distractions and opportunities bombard the typical person than anyone would have imagined just a few years ago. Busy, busy, busy. And overwhelmed.

One of the biggest life lessons we took away from our adventure in the urban jungle is that for the average family with both parents working full time and kids in school, one of the most precious and scarce commodities you have is time. By the time you keeping up with the everyday demands of work, household chores, and family responsibilities, you’ve hardly enough time left to recharge the batteries for the next attack. Fatigue and exhaustion are lingering companions. Quality time for self, family, God, or friends is preciously rare. And then as Christians we add church responsibilities to the mix of work, school, and family…to say nothing of connecting with our community or neighbors.

Maybe I’m overly sensitive to the time demands that the church often places on people and families, but I wonder if our church lifestyle is really part of the solution. Are we helping people get a grip on thier lives and lifestyle, or are we just adding more items to the 'to do' list? I'm not intending to be negative or critical - which is soooo easy. And I hate bringing stuff like this up when I don't have an answer. But I am looking for one.

Right now I’m in the 'gear up for fall' mode. Sunday last was “Round Up Sunday” and it was great. Really. We had our first Singing Christmas Tree practice last night. It was a hoot. Really. And we have our first Island Tehillah on Monday. I’m looking forward to it! Really! It’s all good, enjoyable stuff. But it takes time. Precious time.