Our family thrives on a schedule. It keeps us on track and focused on our goals. But at the end of the school year I noticed that the schedule was actually starting to suck the life out of us. Apathy had set in as I sent the kids to school with some pretzels and a plastic fork for lunch. And that was on a good day. When I started missing important events I realized something needed to change.
One afternoon we arrived at our dentist appointments a half hour early. It was a beautiful day so we took the opportunity to take a walk in the park and literally stopped to smell the roses. As we got back in the car I commented to the kids that we rarely had extra time to just enjoy something so simple. “I guess I can be all business.” I commented.
“Yes. You’re like the business-y boyfriend in every Hallmark Christmas movie,” they told me. (You know, the one who always gets dumped for the cool but unknown country singer or small town quaint store owner who always has time to talk and loves kids and/or animals and really understands the Christmas Spirit!)
“Oh no, am I really?! What percentage of ‘business’ am I?”
They laughed hysterically and said, “You just proved you’re the business-y boyfriend! Do you want a pie chart and graph?!”
I love to have fun and enjoy life but many times the deadlines on my calendar can start to drain me of the joy and beauty of the ordinary moments. The monotony of work, appointments, errands and general responsibilities distract me from the purpose of living an abundant life and glorifying God. Do you ever feel like that?
Are you trapped in routines that fail to feed your soul? God created us to thrive—in middle of sorrow and in our greatest moments of joy! Would you join me in praying that we can transform our schedules? It’s time to create routines that serve us instead of serving our routines.
Make Margin For:
Connection with friends and family
Service
Play
Don’t allow your schedule to suck the life out of you! When you do, you won’t have anything left for those gifts which enable you to live an extraordinary life of purpose. An over-scheduled life leads to burnout. We can’t measure our lives by how successfully we navigate our calendars. We measure our lives by how deeply we love. (click to tweet)
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35 (NIV)
How can you start changing your schedule so that you can live an extraordinary life?
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Lisa says
Thanks Angela for your openess! I have also become aware of the “business” side of me in times like when the kids are laughing outside eating popsicles and all I can see are the wrappers they left on the ground and the yard sprinkled with toys. In those moments I’ve been learning to pause & ask “am I going to interrupt their moment of joy & life’s pleasures so that I can have momentary structure or am I going to encourage their moment and have them clean up when their done?” The latter I have never regretted! This “pause” has become a necessary tool for me to tame my “just get it done” mentality and remember life is about my relationship with God and people so when I fill it up with “stuff” and then prioritize this stuff above all else, I’m off the mark. Thanks again for this reminder as we enter the summer months and I have 4 treasured little ones and an amazing husband at home to ENJOY! Hugs!
Angela Howard says
I’m glad I’m not alone in the struggle Lisa! I like your idea of the ‘pause’ – great tool for people who are task driven. It’s so true that we don’t regret those times where we stay in the moment with the ones we love. It’s a gift to ourselves and to them. Thanks for your thoughts.