center

I saw a friend tonight whom I hadn't seen for awhile. He and his family were eating dinner in our church commons with a room packed full of families for the Wednesday evening family night out meal. My friend works a full-time job, is married and has small children. He was telling me how he doesn't see how people have time to go serve in the community when their lives are so full with so many other obligations. He was frustrated by this and couldn't figure out how to get involved in service and still keep his family a priority. I listened, and I could affirm his season of life and listen to his frustration.

His conversation brought up some questions and thoughts that have been forming for my own life, though. They're not very articulate questions and thoughts at this point, but bear with me as I attempt a fly-by at them.

What if it's less about community service and more about a re-orientation? Check out this picture below:

It's a picture that was drawn over a year ago at a gathering I was at, and it has stuck with me. Check out what consumes this family's life by how they have set up life. If you look hard, you can see the church and the hospital on the outside of the clock/circle and a little of Jesus (small crosses) represented in the various components of life...commerce, education, etc. I've considered this image quite a lot because of the culture of comfort, convenience, safety, and security I've grown up in. I grew up in this picture; this picture is all around me. What if my family life orientation looks more like the picture above than a picture where the cross is in the center and anything else is oriented in light of Jesus instead? Would this change some things about life? For me, I think it would. You?