How many times in the past week have you spoke to someone & you asked them, "How are you?" and their response was, "Okay...we've just been so busy." I can't even count how many times I've heard that type of response in the past week let alone the past month. It's almost to the point where you know that is going to be the response & you don't even want to ask, "How are you?" because that's the only response you get. You hear all about what the person or family has been doing...as in how many activities they have done in a day...not how the person or people are actually doing mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
I have notice that even I have used the "busy" reponse a few times in the past month because we have been doing more things...and you know what....I don't like it. I know I may be an "alien" for saying this but it's true. It's not that me or my family is lazy. We just don't think that being a family consists of attending 100 activities a week. And no...activities are not bad...but like with everything else in life...balance is key. We should have enough time available to just "be" with our family members & friends & be available to help someone in need. It's hard to do that if you're just running from one activity to the next all day long 7 days a week.
The following devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah reflects on this more.
Love Is Spelled T-i-m-e
"By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him."
Song of Solomon 3:1
Recommended Reading
John 13:34-35
A couple decades ago, Christian publishers released waves of books on marriage, family, and childrearing from a biblical perspective. Many of them countered a popular cultural notion that championed quality of time over quantity of time in relationships. Not so, Christian authors said: Quantity of time spent in relationships is just as important as quality of time, if not more so. Love, some suggested, could be spelled t-i-m-e.
It won't come as a surprise to modern married couples that the first spat in the marriage of King Solomon and his Shulamite bride was over the issue of time. Shulamith expected Solomon home at a certain hour and he showed up in the middle of the night. And Shulamith was too offended to get up and let him in. They patched things up in due course, but the tension they experienced is a warning to anyone in any relationship: There is no substitute for time spent together. Whether in marriage, childrearing, a relationship with God, or just good friends, growth and intimacy grow over time.
Consider your relationships today: Are you giving the people you love the time they deserve?
"We have been too busy chopping wood to take time out to sharpen the ax." Vance Havner
1 comment:
It does get crazy but thankfully each of my kids have times they are home for several hours at a time. The big ones gather in the back to watch a show together at night. Thankfully also lots of talk time so far.
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