Busy Life
There are mornings when I wake up and ask myself, “why do you do what you do?” It seems my life runs at 100 miles an hour, every day. Up early for work. Long hours while at work, taking/making phone calls, answering questions from our team, sending out and responding to countless emails. Then off to a soccer/t-ball/basketball practice, youth at church on Wednesday, a meeting with a church member, lunch with the family, another meeting for work and to finish the week off a meeting with a student about life over breakfast followed by a dinner conversation with my wife. Mix in travel season for work and it goes something like this... Up early for flight, new city, same city, rent a car, check into hotel, meeting, catch a cab, take calls, set up meetings for next week, text with a student from church, call home to make sure the family knows you are alive, eat at restaurant at the bar, then off to a meeting, followed by a meeting, check out of hotel and then a flight home to 800 emails. Shouldn't something give?
So let me be clear this isn't a blog post about how busy I am... What it hopefully does, is remind me and point out to anyone that reads this, that we all have priorities and motivation for the things we do or what we don't do. Recently I have been told I need to “slow down”. So, I began to ponder... How do you “slow down?” What are the options?
Option 1: Quit work? No way. I love what I do. Our family requires an income so even if I did quit work I would end up having to find another job. But there are jobs out there with less hours? Right. But none that give me the opportunity to do exactly what God gifted me to do. I am a people person who loves sports. My job is to sell sports products to sports people. Our office culture is like having a second family. I also love Christ and the message of the gospel. Where I currently work, I am allowed to sell sports and discuss Christ on the same business trip. What a joy. That isn't even close to a option. Next.
Option 2: Quit coaching? This is crazy talk. I already told you I love sports. However, what I forgot to mention is I love my family more than sports (its not even close). If my son wants to play soccer, I want to be involved. I want to coach. If my either of my daughters want to take dance lessons, just tell me when the performance is and I will make room on the schedule ( I am not really qualified to teach soccer so dance instructor is out of the question). Asking me to quit coaching is like saying don't be engaged with your family. I love my family time. One of the lessons I have learned as a business owner, who wants to conquer the world, is that you have to guard/protect your family time. This is one that I will not concede on. I want to be their coach, involved with their projects, go to parent/teacher meetings. I would quit my job before I cut this out of my life and I have already mentioned above that finding a new line of work is out of the question. Next.
Option 3: Spend less time with your church? Then I would say “define church?” One thing I know to be true, my life isn't compartmentalized. I work with family. My family comes up to work all the time. Many of the people I work with attend the same church as me. So my life isn't: family life at home, work up at work, and church life in the four walls of the church building. I am part of the church. The church is part of me. I love it. I love Christ. The truth is I love Christ more than my job and my relationship with Him is the centerpiece to my family. Spending less time involved with Christ’ people would deny what He has commanded me to do, plus it would rip my heart out. I pray for these kids (youth) and friends that attend our church. We serve one another. We share a common bond in Christ and what He has done for us through His life, death, and resurrection. Christ (and by the Spirits power) is my motivation at work to share and live out the Gospel, at home to love my wife like Christ loved the church and to raise kids who depend upon the Lord. My understanding of “church” isn't the building that I attend on Wednesday’s and Sunday’s but wherever I am on Monday.
From where I sit, there is nothing worth giving up. I will just be busy. I will just go 100 mph until I cant anymore. So, I will see you today at the 8:15 meeting.
