Life is back to normal

Rob's been home from Haiti for a few days. We're all caught up on sleep. Life is back to "normal." Sounds good, right?

Unfortunately, "normal" isn't all it's cracked up to be!

While Rob traveled, our kids amazed me. They cleaned up after themselves without being asked. They helped with the laundry, the garbage, and the vacuuming. The boys actually initiated outdoor playtime with their sister. Cooperation ruled the day, every day.

With Daddy home, you'd think life would be beautiful. All that cooperation and the lessons learned would carry over and we'd have the happiest family on the planet. WRONG! We're happy enough, but the cooperation? Gone. Initiative? Gone. Replaced by laziness (kids walking past piles of clean clothes as if they don't exist, garbage can overflowing) and self-centeredness (I want... I want... I want...). What happened?

Life happened.

Our kids rose to the occasion when Rob left. They understood that extra effort would help us all get through the trip easier. When he got home, they went back to self-centered kid living, helping when asked (a couple of times), but not trying so hard anymore.

Isn't that like all of us, though? I see it in ministry - there's somebody doing it, so I don't have to. Yet, we never have enough team members in ministry. It shouldn't be like the Marines: "The few, The proud." It should be all of us, together, giving our best to make it happen. That's how the "Acts church" was.

It happens with kids and grades. I did "well enough." So many students are satisfied with a B or C, turning in homework late or poorly done, though they know that with some effort, they could do much better. At work, when we see the boss coming or that there will be an inspection, we put in a little extra effort. Really, that effort should be the standard.

God knows we tend to act this way, and He warns us:

You lazy fool, look at an ant.

Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.

Nobody has to tell it what to do.

All summer it stores up food;

at harvest it stockpiles provisions.

So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?

How long before you get out of bed?

A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,

sit back, take it easy-do you know what comes next?

Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,

poverty your permanent houseguest!

Proverbs 6:6-11 (MSG)

Honestly, I'm right there with the kids. The laundry has piled up since Rob got home. I'll get to it, eventually. It's time for me to apply this Bible passage to my own life and make sure I'm setting a good example for my kids! Maybe, hopefully, they'll notice and that cooperation and self-initiative will return. Let's redefine "normal."