Monday, July 10, 2006

Riding the waves of the seasons of life

Ever noticed the ups and downs, the increases and decreases, of busyness in life? Many times our relationships with each other in family, with friends, and even in our church community ride the waves of seasonal change. It seems almost impossible to predict when the increases will come and when they'll settle down into an almost lull.
When is life busiest for you? When do you find it hard to find time to be with other believers? ...with family and friends? What things compete the most for your time? What events or activities do you make your priority over and above everything else in life?
The writer of Hebrews encourages us to not give up meeting together as some people had developed the habit of doing. What do you think the church as a whole and perhaps even the smaller groups within it that you are a part of could do to be more aware of peoples' life cycles and 'busyness' cycles? What big events do you feel leaders should more often pay attention to when they are planning events and activities 'at church' so that people don't feel unnecessarily pulled in to many different directions?