Ordinary People- Extraordinary Purpose

I grew up in a three-bedroom, one-bathroom, 1,066 square-foot house on Hillsdale Drive in Pleasant Hill.  That house gave us all it had.  I imagine it heaving great sighs of relief once the 12 of us left.  Today, it sits, a shadow of its former self, as it's all dressed-up and missing the key element of our childish joy: the large redwood that overlooked the property (and that of many neighbors).  But, I'll cut short the jaunt down reminiscent road and focus on something that I learned while living in that house.

With little more than 88 square-feet of territory all to myself, I had to learn early and be reminded often, that people are a part of my world!  Seems like a complete no-brainer, but not as much as one might think.  So much of the time, in today's world, we are always trying to get away from people we know, to escape and have a little time to ourselves.  We think we are entitled to a little me-space, where we can spend some me-time, doing me-things.  In fact, much of what we do is driven by the desire for that little bit of mine on the planet.  As soon as I run the treadmill, read the Bible, do my praying, give the kids breakfast, read them the Bible, do some chores, read them some stories, get through their schooling, make them lunches, run some errands, give them their naps, take them swimming or whatever afternoon activity, feed them dinner, bathe them (unless we swam- YUCK, I know:), sing to them, pray with them, put them to bed, clean up the house, do devos with the hub, THEN I get to sit and do whatever I want!!!  Do you ever think like this?  Just get through your day and then you can, AH!- RELAX (or fill it in with whatever activity you want).  Yeah, you've got a me-problem, then, JUST LIKE ME!  

There isn't anything wrong with relaxing, but when I am not present in the things that God has called me to because I am motivated by the things my desires are calling me to, then I've got a problem.  I have run into this many times.  When doing something un-me-centered, like going to the beach (of which I am not a fan- GASP!), or camping for longer than three days, I tend to play it out in my head and boil it down to timing, that goes something like, "Come on Amy, sit in the filthy sand for an hour, go splash in the yucky salt-water for two, give yourself to the unrestrained power of the sun, eat your sandy meal, get in the car, go home, and then shower and you're home free!"  Yes, this is a coping mechanism.  Just get it down to the basics and I can overcome!

But, here's where the rub is: with each memory that I relegate to the "Just Get Through It" pile, I find the other pile of "What I Missed" looming larger.  When my mentality is focused on getting it over with, I miss out on what I could've learned, the pleasure of the small things, noticing nuances, and often, the hard (but rewarding) work of people.  People are difficult.  They take energy.  I can't go into auto-pilot when dealing with them.  It becomes about them when they surround me!  To maintain relationships takes effort- that effort is drawn from my limited energy-bank, which is too often reserved for me-centered activities.  What a punch that packs!  Am I focused on pleasure-seeking more than people-seeking?  Am I willing to sacrifice my time and vitality to minister/fellowship/enjoy those around me?

Okay, I'm not going to finish this post today, or possibly anytime.  The head-splitting ache that I have is rendering my uprightness less and less feasible.  And since I have only just begun dinner (long day at homeschooling co-op), I must now, spend the last bits of my sanity energy on my family.  But, until next time, may you, like me, consider how God is calling you away from you and more to others!