Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Out of Gas

I love how when God is trying to really teach me a lesson He drills it home in undeniable ways. So it should come as no surprise that after my post last night (and the conviction that it was time to reign in the overcommitment)I had a doozie of a morning.

After breakfast this morning I sent the children back upstairs to get dressed for the day while I got myself together. This is essentially our routine everyday, so you can imagine my surprise when I said. "Time to go!"and heard"Uh-Oh" in response.

As I rounded the corner to investigate I found one of my sons still in his pajamas and covered in Bendaroos. I nipped at little heels until everyone was dressed and loading the car...5 minutes late. Just as they were all getting buckled in my neighbor appeared in my driveway to inform me that my lab was out running wild in the neighborhood. I don't have time for this. UGH!

I got the dog contained and cranked the car, only to be reminded I was almost completely out of gas. GGRRR! Running late and out of gas--if that wasn't a picture of how I was feeling about my life and my schedule...I had no choice but to laugh.

So, my accountability partner and I are floating an idea. What if we declare January our "Mary Month." We are still working out the rules, but we want a month of being free from the shackles of overcommitment. A month where we say 'No' to things scheduled outside our home. We want a sabbatical from the overscheduled lives we have created. The point is not to skirt commitment, but to clean the slate, sit and His feet and see how HE reframes our perspective when we give Him room with not so much noise and distraction.

Somehow having January to look forward to makes the chaos of today a bit more tolerable!

11 comments:

storey said...

wow! what an incredible idea/plan! this makes me think of one of my favorite ideas...from blackaby...He made us human BEINGS not human DOINGS! we are created to be with Him, not to be doing for Him. there is SUCH a fine line between the two, but oh so easy to be busy doings. SO THANKFUL FOR YOU! let me know if i can help with anything! love you guys!

k and c's mom said...

I have teacher friends who make September a "No Extra Commitments" month because that first month of school is so crazy anyway.
January sounds like the perfect month to try your idea.

Immeasurably More Mama said...

Love it!

Melissa's Thoughts said...

Great idea. I think several of us need to get in on this with you. Give our schedules to God so that he might direct our path.

Colored With Memories said...

i'm in!

Traci said...

Good for you! Praying for you to have endurance this week!

Bailey's Leaf said...

Keep us up to date. That would certainly be a difficult commitment for me to make, but I'd willing to try to do it!

Pam said...

Such a fantastic idea!

I feel your pain, too, as I was praying the fumes in my gas tank would make it to the gas station before leaving me stranded . . . oh, about 15 minutes ago.

Katy said...

I only have 2 boys, 10 & 7. About a year ago I was running ragged with football 5 nights a week plus saturday games. I stayed for the 2.5 hour practices because I'm crazy like that. Guitar lessons once a week, church, oh and homework. Plus I was taking some workout classes during the day. When football was over I declare, NO MORE! I have slowed down since then. I realized how crazy life was. That was just the kids stuff not even my responsiblities at church. I have my plate full at church and I say no a lot to anything more. My oldest did soccer in the spring, that was it. Youngest didn't want to. Summer was free. School year we are free right now every single night. No Sports, NO committments. The occassional meeting but nothing on a weekly basis. The time that we have together is amazing and I love it!

Look forward to you Mary Month! It will be worth it. I do my hobbies now because I have time, sewing etc.

Mindy said...

I LOVE that idea!!! I look forward to Mary Month!

Daree said...

Great idea!