Last night my son’s soccer coach dropped by to pick up his son who had spent the day at our place. We talked about the craziness in the sports world that has the potential to affect our families in negative ways. Consider just the time investment; many parents spend every evening of the week running their kids to and fro for practices and games…and for what purpose? Are they planning for their son to be the next Wayne Gretzky or Kobe Bryant?
At this point we have our kids in recreational soccer. It’s really helped us interface with our community, given us connection with new friends, and supplied an outlet for our children’s energy. All in all it’s been a great experience without robbing every moment of our time. But take it up a notch with select leagues? Good-bye family time!
This got me thinking on something else. Is it possible to experience too much church? Are you tiring of attending every church function? Is Sunday no longer a day of rest but the beginning of a week-long marathon? Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and then possibly Friday or Saturday night yet for some special service before starting all over again (not to mention all the other activities connected with church). I get weary just thinking about it! (Ironically, I may also be shutting down my own weekend ministry here!)
Presently our family spends about an hour per week (gasp!) in church. Call us pagan if you like but we’re loving it! Sunday is a day of rest and a great day for our family to connect. I might also add that spiritual growth and development happens throughout the week without pressure to show up at a certain place at a certain time, often in the context of an intentional small group.
So let me ask you: Has church become a rat race for you? Lily Tomlin once said that the problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat. Jesus made us human, not rats, and I believe He got it right when He said, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Maybe its time for us to get it right and take a Sabbath from all those “un-Sabbath” activities!
[NOTE: I’ve finally returned to the blogosphere after “drowning” in my seminary studies for several months…I hope to get a few more posts out before the spring semester kicks in!]
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