Kate was hoping to be home by now. She already had a typical, hyper-productive day getting her family out of the house and working at full throttle at her fast-paced, demanding job. Yet, there she sat AGAIN with a box of lukewarm Chinese takeout around a cold office table with business colleagues.
While others seemed content eating, talking business, and trading quips, Kate’s mind was frantic, her body was exhausted, and her heart was conflicted. She valued her career but was also desperate to be home with her family. Kate’s composure broke when someone laughingly joked, “Kate, how does it feel for your son to call the nanny Mommy?” Something had to change!
This fictional and all too realistic scene from the Netflix sitcom “Workin’ Moms” resonates with Holly and I. Our “babies” are now four and five, and we both have full time jobs outside the home. Kids and careers have also not erased our personal needs and desires for hobbies, relationships with family and friends, and our ambitions to live an altruistic life. Amidst all the obligations, busyness, and demand, we still deeply want to connect our family to a rhythm of life beyond our own comfort and activities.
Holly and I use many words and sentiments to characterize this season of life, including good and exhausting. We have never felt more demand on our time and energy than we do right now. Life is so full and so good. And the goodness is part of the problem. We don't feel led to stop anything we are doing, but we don’t seem to have enough time or energy for everything.
Our efforts to connect our family to a bigger story involves weekly practices that move us toward loving and serving others. Holly and I want to immerse our family into a community of people that we can befriend, bless, and share life with. Who are these people that we are sent to? Where are they? How can we find the time and energy required to engage? We fear a busy life solely focused on our own family’s needs and activity will pull us away from answering these questions.
We have no choice but to be discerning about how we invest our time. We simply have no time to be somewhere we already are not. Does that make sense? This reality has forced us to re-purposing of our life among the people and in the spaces we already are.
We are learning that missionally oriented families like ours feel sent to immerse their lives with people in a local neighborhood, need group, or network. There are so many people that hunger for friendship, are capable of extending and receiving blessing, and yearn to connect with God.
Holly and I enjoy and value fitness and have found community through our local gym. Blair and Braylon love playing with their friends at the gym’s kids club and coloring with Ms. Veda. For us our local LA Fitness gym is a place we go regularly and naturally, and a place we easily make friends.
So we are asking what it would look like for us to live as missionaries there!
WHAT IF — we funneled our life toward these fellow gym goers, prayerfully pursuing friendship, extending blessing, and sharing stories of life and faith with new friends? What might God do? What glimpses of the kingdom will we get to experience?
See you at the gym!
Kevin Davis - Forge Dallas Director of Training