One of my dear friends, DeAnna invited me to attend a free Lysa Terkeurst simulcast in Charlotte, NC to launch her new book The Best Yes. Well, if you know me, free is my language, and this was the first time I had ever been to anything like this so I was pretty excited. The experience certainly didn't disappoint! I left just itching to get into her new book.
From the beginning I felt as if God was convicting my heart, but not because of having an overwhelmed schedule but because I have been wasting so much time and putting things off and even saying well, I'll never have time for that. The truth is I have vowed since being afforded the opportunity to be a "mostly stay-at-home mommy" that I would keep my schedule as open as possible. I'm not one who likes a busy schedule and that sort of thing stresses me out. I like to have time to process from one activity to the next. I have lived an extremely busy schedule from my sophomore year of high school, working & doing every extracurricular activity under the moon until the day I packed up my six years of teaching supplies from my kindergarten classroom to open this new chapter in my life. I don't want to be the mom who rushes to pick the kids up from school to take them from one lesson to the next then on to their sports' team practices, rush thru the McDonald's drive-thru, shove unhealthy food down their throats, rush home to do homework and study, and finally put my kids to bed in pure exhaustion and frustration. That scenario puts me in a panic just thinking about it. While I want my children to be well-rounded and enjoy life, I also want them to know, without a doubt, what is most important...God and relationships. Lysa said it well, "The decisions we make dictate the schedules we keep. The schedules we keep determine the lives we live. The lives we live determine how we spend our souls. So, this isn't just about finding time. This is about honoring God with the time we have."
Before anyone begins firing any negative comments at me, I'm not knocking anyone who is enriching the lives of their children by taking them to lessons, practices, and games. However, I challenge you to ask yourself do your children know that God is the most important thing in life or would they answer with school, piano, dance, football, etc? All of these things are great when balanced, but a hectic schedule where God and church just get fit in where there aren't any other plans on that day should be a red flag that you are living an overwhelmed schedule which will produce in you and your entire family and underwhelmed soul.
For instance I remember when I was in high school there were no sports practices, rehearsals, or school related activities on Wednesdays (during church times) or Sundays at all. Today our culture doesn't discriminate on any day of the week and many teams say well, if you have to go to church, I guess you can't play. So, what happens? We give in to this "to be good, famous, worth something, & successful," you have to stay busy lifestyle our culture promotes. We choose to send them to practice or go to games with them instead of investing in their souls, their faith, and their salvation by going to church or youth groups. What kind of message are we instilling in the lives of our children by doing this?
What about school? As an educator I certainly think that school should be a top priority but not THE top. That still belongs to the creator of the universe! Sure every parent wants their kids to do well and make good grades in school but at what expense? Should they miss youth group because they have too much homework? Should they miss church on Sunday because they have a big test on Monday? I think you already know my answer, but just in case...NO! Teach your children to prioritize and not procrastinate. Teach them to be responsible for their own actions. If they choose to wait until Wednesday night to complete a project, send them on to church and allow them to face that lower grade for a late project. If they wait until Sunday to study for a big test, take them to church and let them spend the rest of the day studying.
One more scenario I am seeing and hearing more and more of is..."Sunday is my only day off or Sunday is the only day I can sleep in or we've just been so busy and we're too tired to come." This isn't the once in a blue moon excuse. It's the weekly, biweekly, or monthly excuse I'm referring to. If you're too tired to come to church or to attend a church function, that's an indicator that your schedule is probably too busy.
Don't get me wrong, friends, I am not saying that there is NEVER an exception or that missing church on rare occasions is going to send you straight to hell in a hand-basket. If it's just an unexpected, rare "thing," that's one thing, but if it is becoming a regular occurrence, we really need to self-evaluate. I can already hear some critics whispering, "I don't have to go to church to be a Christian." While you are certainly correct, we are saved by grace through faith and it's not of our own doing but is the gift of God, but the truth is Church is important to believers and it should be. It's the bride of Christ. Church is not a building we go to. Church is the body of believers gathered together for one purpose, to spread the Good News of Jesus!
Let's stop allowing our schedules to rule us and let's rule our schedules. Make sure there is time in each day for the unexpected or divine appointments. Let's make sure our schedules exhibit what is most important to us. Let's stick to schedules that honor Jesus.
