TIME TO PLAY
I refer to the term “going through the motions” often but I’m usually referring to church, religion and/or relationship with Christ. We also go through the motions of life in general sometimes and forget there is a world full of adventures out there.
Many people get caught up in the busyness of their everyday life. We have jobs, chores, children, family, extended family, spouses, animals, homes, churches, sports, clubs and so many other things that are usually legitimate stuff. Sometimes we get so busy planning for the event, preparing for event, hosting the event and then cleaning up after the event that we forget to enjoy the event. It may not always fall in that order but you get the idea. Sometimes our “fun” things end up feeling like “forced” things and we can’t wait to be done with them. Sometimes we put expectations on ourselves that are unnecessary and we should simplify for sanity sake!
There is a level of responsibility that is necessary at times but it’s important that we don’t forget to enjoy life in the midst of our busyness. Some people go to the extreme and are a little too chilled out and leave all the responsible stuff to others but there is a time to just enjoy the moment. We can learn a lot from hippies as their stress levels are much lower than most of us in the western culture. It’s bad for your health to be stressed all the time too. I’m a fan of the cliché “stop and smell the roses”. It makes sense because sometimes we miss out on some of the most amazing moments because it doesn’t fit our agenda.
A good Biblical example of what I’m talking about is Mary and Martha. Martha opened her home to Jesus and was running around and distracted over all the preparations that needed to be made while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus. Even though Martha was trying to be a good host and servant, Mary recognized the limited opportunity to sit at His feet and listen. Sometimes we miss out on moments in our lives because our agenda trumps our experiences sometimes. Don’t be afraid to take an occasional detour that may prove fruitful!