Do you need to reevaluate?!?!

I wanted to share my devotional for today! I got it from here:http://hometown.aol.com/srmiller1988/busy.html

It was very reassuring for me to read today. We have struggled so much about enrolling our kids in this or that. We have concluded though that education is what is most important to focus our time, energy, and money on. The education they receive now will carry them through their lifetime not a dance class or soccer practice. By the time you add up gas and dues and food for these kind of activities you've spent a small fortune for something that parents themselves can teach and be active in doing with their children. I'd rather take the time to run a few football drills out in the yard with my son then pay someone else so I can just sit and watch. Think of all the life lessons you could discuss with your daughter when you dance around the house with her dressed as a fairy. Think of all the dinners and discussions you could have at the table night after night with your special treasures instead of rushing to the next practice or recital. I don't think all extra activities are bad by any means. I just agree with this devotional to the fullest. Some parents use it for their own egos and I feel sometimes as way to NOT have to be the ones to nurture and teach their children. With the economy the way it is and people complaining about finances and barely scraping by it is a wonder that these are still as popular as they are. I also think that parents should consider lessons provided in the home. Your able to have more control over what your child is exposed to ( erratic parents, foul mouth kids, poor sports)and able to be right there for encouragement and questions. Usually these types of activities are much more pocket friendly as well and think no gas and no eating out!

I just want to be clear and say I don't think all activities are bad just that this devotional is definitely something to consider before enrolling your child in that next activity. Also what I feel God is leading my family to, may not be what others are being lead to!:)



Devotional
Busy, Busy, Busy
Monday: baseball practice, ballet lessons
Tuesday: baseball game, visit library for book report project
Wednesday: baseball practice, church
Thursday: baseball game, ballet lessons, return videos to store
Friday: my turn to play taxi-service after school
Saturday: ballet, piano lessons, take child shopping for shoes, etc.
Sunday: church AM/PM, take child to visit friend between church services
Does this schedule look familiar? Is it like yours at all? Too many of us are caught in a daily, very hectic schedule. While all of us want what is best for our children, it is easy to find ourselves caught up in too many activities. Maybe it is time to reevaluate WHAT activities we do, and also WHY we do them.
Why are we involved in so many extra activities? It may be because we did the same thing when we were young. Or perhaps it is because we never got the chance to do any of these things, so now we feel the need to be sure that our children "do it all." While the Bible never mentions that we should get our children involved in so many activities away from home, it does mention many times that we are to train our children. (Eph. 6:4, Deut. 4:9, 11:19, Prov. 22:6) While outside activities aren't bad, we need to make sure that they don't take away from what is really important.
We may feel pressured to be involved in so many activities because "everyone else is doing it." But we don't have to do things because everyone else is doing it. Romans 12:2 tells us not to conform after the pattern of the world. In fact, we are to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. (Rom. 8:29, II Cor. 3:18) If we are so busy running here and there, how can we be conformed to His likeness? Can our children be conformed to His likeness when they are too busy doing homework and outside activities?
What kinds of influences are we letting into the lives of our children through these activities? Proverbs 12:25 tells us that a righteous man is cautious in friendship. We need to be cautious about putting our children in situations where they are being exposed to things that aren't godly. There are many children out there who are not taught the things that we may be teaching our children. I know that when I was young, it was far too easy for me to be "sucked in" by these kinds of "friends." I wasn't going to have much influence on them, but they were sure having an influence on me!
Romans 16:19 tells us to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil. If we let our children be around many ungodly influences, it is hard for them to maintain that innocence about what is evil. If they are being exposed to many ungodly things, we may not be protecting them as we should be.
We may get our children involved in so many activities because it boosts our own self-esteem. Yet, we must remember that love isn't proud. If our primary reason to have our children in all of these activities is to stroke our own ego, our motives probably need to be reevaluated. We need to remember that Proverbs 16:5 says that God detests the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Even if our own motives past the test, we must remember that love protects. (I Cor. 13) When children are put into activities, we must evaluate what values they are seeing displayed before them. Are the activities encouraging responsibility, sportsmanship, and perseverance? Or do children see pride, selfish ambition, and a lack of concern for others?
Sometimes these seemingly innocent activities can cause financial woes. Financial trouble can creep in, not only because of the cost of the activities, but also the cost of eating out several nights a week. It can even spiral into marital trouble, as MOST marriage trouble starts with financial problems.
Satan has many schemes, and we are to be aware of them. (II Cor 2:11) We are to be like sheep among wolves - wise as serpents, but harmless as doves. (Mt. 10:16) II Cor. 10:5 tells us to demolish arguments and every pretension (thought) that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. We are also admonished to take our stand against the devil's schemes. (Eph. 6:10) For this reason, it is important to occasionally step back and reevaluate our decisions. Could the enemy be using these activities to distract us from what is really important? Could it be that all of this "busyness" is one of his many schemes to destroy us? Could it be a scheme to destroy intimate family time, to destroy time for devotions, to destroy time to relax and unwind, to destroy our energy in training and instructing our children in righteousness?
I mention this because I have often heard it said that family meal time is almost nonexistent in homes, because family devotions are almost a thing of the past in many homes, because the divorce rate in Christian homes is about the same as it is in secular homes. I mention it because Rom. 12:1 tells us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, yet many of us are so busy these days that we feel like the "walking dead" because we are so tired.
Titus 2:4-5 tells us to encourage young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of our homes, to be kind, to be submissive to our husbands, so that the Word of God many not be discredited. Can we really be Titus 2:4-5 women with our current level of activity? We must not let this "busyness" rob from us those things which really are important.
A while back, I received an email that had an acrostic at the bottom. It was VERY thought-provoking, to say the least:
Busy =
Being
Under
Satan's
Yoke.
Do you need to reevaluate?