Cost

Sometimes I am busy focusing on me.

We get so wrapped into what we are doing we don't even know why we are doing it.

I struggle with this at times.

Do you?

One of the things that is hard to realize is the fact that we can get wrapped into being busy we forget what's really important.

There is a cost for everything, whether we realize it or not.

I used to pride myself in being busy in high school and college.

In college there was a point that I was so busy and it excited me.

I was going to school full time while working at the café at MSU and the Lansing State Journal. On top of that I was volunteer staff at South Lansing Christian Church and Campus Life.

I was busy and that didn't include playing in a couple of different hockey leagues.

Over a period of three days I didn't get over 12 hours of sleep because I was gone.

I would wake up to open at Case Hall by 6 a.m. and inbetween everything else I had going on, I didn't arrive home until 1 or 2 in the morning.

One time during this crazy period I had a hockey game that didn't start until 12:35 which meant I didn't get home til close to 2 and I had to open in the morning.

I loved telling people how busy I was.

I loved going non-stop for that time.

Part of me loves that.

You feel important when you are always busy.

Yet what's the point?

How often do we think about that?

People are busier than ever and rather than slowing down we are speeding up.

We make sure we are involved in everything otherwise we miss something.

There was a story about how youth are involved in everything under the sun nowadays.

One kid was rushed from one practice to one practice every night of the week.

The line I will never forget, he said, "I don't walk anymore I limp."

His body was beat up before getting out of grade school.

So much time and effort is put into playing sports and it can be questionable what we gain from it.

I know because I lived my life for sports.

I lived for sports and working hard to achieve goals in sports, but after high school, they all went away.

I worked hard and beat my body up for sports.

They never got me a college scholarship, or all conference, the best I did in any high school sport was honorable mention all conference. (I would not trade the friendships and connections I made through my sports and activities, but I am looking at just the sports side).

My times in swimming were on average the 20-30^th best times in the area.

What's the point?

At what cost did I put the effort in?

Faith is the same way.

There is a section in Luke titled, "The Cost of Following Jesus."

A couple of different men said they wanted to follow Jesus.

This was Jesus response to one of the men in Luke 9:58…

"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Jesus is telling the guy, you don't have one certain place you will be, you might not have one place you lay your head down.

Jesus did not spend his entire ministry in one place, they traveled all over the place.

Faith puts us in different situations when we take faith seriously.

Faith is so much more then attending a Church service once a week.

It's a lifestyle.

Sometimes we admit we have faith, but it's the furthest thing on our minds.

As we get busy it's the first thing we drop.

As my kids are starting to get into the activities more, it's something we have to watch out for.

Are we doing too much?

Are we parents or designated chauffeurs?

Having faith is showing faith.

It's happens outside of Sunday morning too.

What do you think?

Have a great day.