There is a phrase that I have been using a lot lately, especially in my writing.  That phrase is “in the natural path and at the natural pace of our lives.”  What proceeds this phrase usually has something to do with us being on mission, or reaching out to, or being salt and light to those God has placed around us.  These words are not meant to be just a pithy phrase we can throw out there to not make everyday mission seem so bad.  They are words that represent the true heart of Christ for the life that he presents us with and that he desires us to live.

I am truly convinced that if we are living at a pace that is healthy and Christ-centered, and if we are living where God desires us to be, then we can have ministry as a natural part of our lives.  Most of us would say that we are living where God wants us or where he has planted us.  On the other hand, I am not so sure that most of us would say that we are living at a pace that is healthy, natural or according to God’s plan for us.

I know that our family struggles with the pace of our lives.  There are many seasons when we are simply too busy, or try to fit more into life than we should.  It would seem unreasonable that I or anyone else would ask you to add more to your already busy life.  Even the thought of adding Kingdom focused caring to our schedule seems wrong.

That is why if we are going to  see mission fit into our everyday lives we will need to make sure that those lives are functioning as they were intended to function.  I am not asking you to fit more into your already busy life; I am asking you to take a hard look at the pace and rhythm of your life.  If you feel that there is no margin in your life to be on mission for God, then I would suggest that you consider making some changes.  Not changes that would simply add more to an already busy schedule, but changes that would allow for mission to be a part of the natural rhythm and pace of your everyday life.

Let me give you one example of what I mean.  I was challenged a few weeks ago at the meetings I was at in Tacoma.  The challenge was one that I have been given before by my good friend Hugh Halter.  The thought is that we have 21 meals a week that we take part in, and one good way to involve others in our life is to commit to spending three of those meals entertaining others.

These meals are times that should be a natural part of the rhythm of our lives, yet most of us would cringe at the thought of trying to include others in three of these meals.

I know this has often been the case for us.  What this tells me that we are living at a pace that does not allow for mission to be a part of our everyday lives.

Homework:  For your homework this week I want to encourage you to pay special attention to your schedule, your life rhythm and the pace of life this week.  Write down what you do each week and make some observations about the pace at which you live.  If you find that it is out of balance, begin to brainstorm about what changes might need to happen.  Be blessed as you do this.