Just A Wii Little Problem

Not long ago, I bought a used Wii game system for the family.  For awhile, we all really got into Wii Fit, but like most things healthy, that did not continue. 

Ben has a friend with a Wii and his friend has Mario Kart.  Ben put his mind to buying Mario Kart, saved a bunch of money, sold a ton of toys at our last yard sale, and soon had the money needed to buy the game. 

I was happy because Ben sold enough stuff to fill the back end of a small pickup truck and the new Wii game takes up about as much space as a paperback novel.  Anyone with kids knows what a blessing this is.

Ever since Ben bought the game, it has sort of captured the attention, enthusiasm, and every spare moment of free time the kids have.

Rachael had bought a charger and rechargeable battery packs for our two Wii controllers.  The idea being we would save money in the long run since we would no longer have to buy batteries.  This is a great theory, but the other day, the cold hard facts absolutely refused to subscribe to the theory.

One controller was fine, but the other one was in the charger, where Rachael had placed it.  To make sure it was ready for our next video-game session.  The only problem was that she had placed the one with batteries in the charger.  Not the rechargeable battery pack....

With normal batteries inserted, there is nothing but blank white plastic to rest against the metal charging rods of the charger. 

The source of recharging was there, but until it was properly plugged in, it did no good.

So, of course, the remote was dead as could be.

This got me thinking. 

How often do we try to 'plug in' to something to re-energize without even knowing what we're doing?  Or what we're really looking for?  How many people have left on a self-discovery adventure of 'finding themselves' only to realize at the end of it that they're more lost than when they started?

Sometimes the best intentions result in nothing more than burned out batteries and an inability to accomplish what we are striving for.

It has been said that the average family spends more time planning their annual vacation than they do planning their financial futures.

I think we often plug in our time and energy to things that actually drain us instead of revive us.  Has this ever happened to you? 

What is your source of strength?  Where do you go when your batteries are burned out and dead?  Physically?  Spiritually?  Emotionally?

What steps will we take today to be sure we 'plug-in' to those things that actually help us accomplish our goals and desires?  Too often, we trade what we REALLY, TRULY want because we get distracted by what we want RIGHT NOW.  Only to have RIGHT NOW fade forever, with nothing to show for it.  And all our time was spent on RIGHT NOW so we never had the time to accomplish what we REALLY, TRULY wanted.

I have learned that the car I drive, the house I live in, the money in my wallet, and pretty much all other physical rewards or accomplishments pale in comparison to the family hikes, the kids' smiles and giggles, the homework time with kids, the fellowship of friends, and time spent communing with God in prayer and study.

And yet, the other things seem to take up so much of my time, that I often neglect the things that matter most.  What about you?  Any secrets out there?