Going through the Motions

This has been a long week.  Period.  We have been running for what seems like weeks going from practice to baseball games, to grocery shopping, to more practice, to more games...you get the picture.  Day to day things are different, but very much the same.  We get up...we get ready for the day...the boys and Coach go to school and I stay home with many little ones.  Then, if we have time, we eat dinner and run to a practice or a game.  We come home, we make the boys shower...read...eat a snack, (maybe their dinner) and then go to bed.  I have piles of laundry that is done in baskets, but can't find a spare second to get it put away.  We are without a doubt...going through the motions of baseball season.

This morning, as God would have it, we had some time off.  No baseball tournament.  No practice.  No church meetings or Bunco.  Of course this only lasts til 11:15 when I am off to watch my niece rock it on the dance floor at her recital.  But for now, we are relaxing and watching our fav. Sat. morning show.  We are enjoying the quiet and neither one of us are looking at the clock. 

Sometimes you just need a break.  Period.

Life gets so busy.  We get in a routine and everything we do seems like it HAS to be done.  We HAVE to get the boys to practice.  We HAVE to get involved with friends who are going through hard times.  We HAVE to attend meetings and Bunco.  Because if we say no...someone gets hurt or let down.  We have made so many commitments to so many people that we feel like we have no other choice but to go through the motions. 

In doing all of the things that make our life chaos...we forget to include God.  We may not do it intentionally, but we do.  We have so much on our plate that we get overwhelmed.  We run late.  We forget things.  We experience mishaps.  And when those things happen, I know for a fact that I don't handle them with Grace.  I know that I don't stop and say..."Please Lord...Be with me."  I usually snap at Coach or one of the kids, blaming them for the very thing that I did wrong.  I don't want to go through the motions anymore.  I want more moments like this right now.  Kids playing, us relaxing...reflecting on His presence in our lives.  Being able to give our best in every aspect of our lives.  That is what God wants from us.  He wants us to commit with his assistance.  And he asks us to remember the most important things first...and let the rest fall into place.

Commitments are very important.  But, what we are learning is that they are not more important than the very foundation of our lives.  We need to get better at saying...No, or 'not this time'.  We need to be more organized and less rushed.  We need to make sure that God is involved in those crazy moments...not just the calm ones.  We need to make sure the Brett, Tanner and Brady see us letting God help us every second of our day...not just the ones we remember to include Him in.  I don't want to be so busy giving bits and pieces of ourselves to everything instead of giving our all to the most important things...God, Church, Family, good friends. 

The Song by Matthew West...Going through the Motions really drives this point home.

I don't want to have one more moment
I don't want to have one more day
Without your all consuming
Passion inside of me
I don't want to spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of Going through the Motions.

Long winded...I know.  But this has been on my  heart and I wanted to share with you what direction I am heading.  Are we pulling the boys from their activities?  Nope.  We are just going to make sure that first comes first...and the rest will fall into place.  Think today about how you might be going through the motions...and try to make the change with me.  Have a blessed day!
Amy