I have a small exercise area in my basement. It has a dozen dumbbells, two kettlebells, and a bench. I am by no means a bodybuilder, but my wife and I are trying to be healthy in a habitual sense. Everyday we aim to get in at least 7 minutes of either walking or some other type of exercise. A few times a week my goal is to lift some weights. At this point I’ve gone 143 days without missing at least a short, 7-minute workout.
The room is actually an unfinished portion of our basement. It houses more than the weights. I have my desk and computer monitors in one nook. We have a second fridge, some storage items, a few antique dressers, some paints and window screens and . . . you get the idea. Just like yours, our basement or the catch-all for anything that doesn’t have a home.
But what has now become the main event in this room is . . . a toy. My kids love LEGO bricks and have thousands of them. They are very creative too. They currently have designed and built a LEGO city. It spans roughly 10 feet by 15 feet. And that is just the city. The medieval outpost and the animal-land each inhabit respective corners of the unfinished room. In the one corner there are many cute animal pets, in the other there is every type of warrior and weapon known to man . . . er . . . minifigure. The LEGO presence is so central that at times we have called the room the LEGO room. “Go get the construction paper from the LEGO room.” “Would you grab an extra bag of chips from the LEGO room?” If aliens were listening, they’d think “LEGO” must represent a storage room, not a small toy.
Urban Sprawl
But this brings us to the matter of urban sprawl. Yes, that issue. The one that cities and farms debate at town halls isn’t just for actual cities and farms. Oh no! Because let me tell you, exercise areas in LEGO rooms have something to say too! The other day, I came down to get healthy for at least 7 minutes and had roughly 34 swords pointing up from the soft gym mats that I pieced together to created the exercise area. If you played that old game Mortal Kombat for the Sega Genesis in the 90’s, then this looked a lot like the level known as The Pit. But what kid could resist the soft foamy ground that easily accommodates a trap for the enemy? Or Dad’s foot . . .
Another day I came down and the pets were all congregating around a bowl of food. More than once, the gym mats were the color-coding-and-sorting-zone for various pieces. And since the exercise area is right next to the LEGO city, you can understand why I’m calling it urban sprawl!
So like any good Dad who notices a light left on in an uninhabited room, I explained to the kids that they have the whole room, but this small corner is Mom and Dad’s place for being healthy. Try to keep the urban sprawl under control please. It was fine to use the area, but please take your pieces off when you get done. They understood.
A few days ago my friend (and cohost) Charlie, talked me through the proper form for a deadlift. I had not been doing it correctly and want to avoid injuries. Melissa and I had already gone on a walk and got in our 7 minutes. But I really wanted to attempt a few deadlifts before bed so I didn’t forget everything he told me.
As I turned on the light in the LEGO room, I saw it. Urban sprawl! On my gym mats! Other times this kind of observation would feed the annoyance of frustration that every father feels when an instruction goes unheeded for the umpteenth time. I remember talks when I have gently reviewed instructions, and others when I have Stearnly (😉) rebuked the disobedient inaction.
But God gives grace, even at 10:35pm. Yes, it seems that sometimes it’s even more true when its later at night! God was gracious and brought eternity to my mind in that moment. Time is ticking. My kids are growing. And one day things won’t be like this. So I happily slid the “Minecraft” bricks into the Tupperware and moved it back to the city. I had no frustration at all.
Messy Rooms and Empty Nests
As I practiced my deadlift form, God brought a passage to mind:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven
-Ecclesiastes 3:1
And just like the sound of putting two LEGO bricks together, something “clicked.” There is a time for messy houses, and a time for clean empty nests. I probably have less than a decade before the LEGO collection get put away forever. Again, being reminded of the eternal perspective always helps me to think about my life, not just with a here-and-now focus, but with a one-day-future focus. One day my kids will be grown. One day my gym mats will always be clean. And one day I’ll probably remember fondly the urban sprawl. In fact, if what most parent’s say is true, I’ll wish for those days to return. Perhaps even with a few tears.
God’s timing is not lost on me. This LEGO-Ecclesiastes epiphany also happened just before a significant yearly event. This week college students begin arriving on campuses all across our country, mine included. Many will leave home for the first time. Parents will say goodbye for the first time. Tears will abound and silent drives home will commence. And probably not a few will remember those dirty rooms and dirtier floors. How they painfully stepped on a LEGO in the night. And as parents drop off their kids and drive home throughout the next week, many messy rooms will be the topic of silent reflection as they meander down the road. Wishing for those days to return, even for just a moment, is probably quite common on those drives.
But after reading this far, please don’t misunderstand. I don’t think you should stop teaching your kids to steward what God has given them by cleaning up and caring for those things. But let eternity temper your perspective. Remember what a gift those little “city planners” are in your home, the ones who have no idea what urban sprawl is, and thank God for this season of life.
Ecclesiastes 3
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
Thoughts Worth Thinking 