Our Complicated Lives

I've been waking early each morning with a pit in the center of my stomach. Not a literal pit, but a figurative one. With one child launching off to college soon, and another heading ever closer to teenager-dom I feel like I am running out of time with them. Those of you with young adult (or grown adult!) children are likely nodding your heads in agreement remembering those days.

It's like we are in a quirky movie about a Minister mom and Teacher dad living with two nearly fully grown kids that are more mature than their parents are. And the movie is on a fast forward.

Time is short. Wait, that's a load of BS. Time is complicated. With one parent working two part time jobs, and the other working what feels like two full time jobs, we are struggling to maintain our priorities. One of us leaves at the crack of dawn and the other comes home after kids are in bed. We pack bag meals and blow each other a kiss in the parking lot as we try and make two cars fit a three driver reality.

I know, first world problems, right? The added guilt in this honest complaint is almost enough to keep me quiet. Almost.

But I sat in a meeting yesterday with some potential new members in the church and what I heard time after time was: "we're such a BUSY church", "there is so much to choose from", "programs, programs, programs..." and I was exhausted just hearing the possibilities. Granted, this was in the middle of a 14 hour day of ministry without a break where I skipped two of the three scheduled meals most of us take (no, potato chips on the lawn with the JrPF doesn't really count, or so I've heard. And yes, I am a little annoyed that with the meals I skip I am still such a substantial person!).

I believe that the people in the meeting were coming to learn more about a wonderful, quirky, faithful, active church family that does really love each other, even if that love feels sometime like blowing kisses in a parking lot. And I am incredibly grateful for the gifts and their willing hearts, and see these new families fitting in wonderfully.

But I also wonder if we are somehow making our lives together more complicated than they need to be. Jesus talked alot about going off to a quiet place to pray, do our lives together give us that opportunity? Maybe that's what summer is all about, but I crave it now. I also wonder if in the flurry of activity we are missing the still small voice of God's justice in the world. Or is there something else we are trying to avoid dealing with?