Slow Down

This afternoon I set up my paints and got ready to create a new work of art. This is often the time I have to think, to reflect, to talk to God. As I spoke to Him, I simply said, “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” It’s interesting how the busyness of this life, the worries of this world, all try to steal my time away from talking to Him. How is that?

I know He is the one thing that gives me peace through it all. Yet, He is the thing put on the back burner when we try to “fix” things ourselves. Maybe this is because we don’t like the answers God gives us. We don’t always get answers from Heaven as God’s voice rattles down to earth telling us how to “fix” everything. Rather, we feel Him telling us to, “wait, keep praying, just breathe,” or the hardest thing, “trust me.” That goes against our human mentality. But life is not a “quick fix.” It is a journey.

Life is an obstacle course stretching our minds, bodies, and mostly- our character. Sometimes we surprise ourselves when we find treasures buried within ourselves- capabilities we had no idea were there. They usually come from humbling ourselves, waiting, taking that “breath” that God asked us to take, and trusting Him.

I’ve always been ambitious and think if I “finish” everything first I will somehow be “ahead of the game.” Yet, when I rush through something I often miss what that season could have taught me. Have you ever read through a page in a book so fast that you barely comprehended what it said? Sometimes we do that with life.

When I stop, take in what is going on around me, listen to the wisdom from the people that surround me, and humble myself to realize I “do not know” what’s best, that is when I discover those priceless lessons. I finally start to understand the metaphor that Jesus used when He said, “The first will be last, and the last will be first.” Take your time, be last, and learn all the lessons that Christ has to teach you on this journey.

It’s ironic that I, with chronic illness, am writing an article about “slowing down.” My health and disabilities make everything I do slow. Getting out of bed is slow for me because of my pain. I often laugh at myself because I think “I must look like I’m a grandma as I move.” Getting dressed, putting my makeup on, counting my medicine, grabbing the portable oxygen, getting my purse, and anything else I need before I leave the house just takes me longer than others. Simply walking out of the house, as I grasp onto the side railing, or my mom’s arm (because I’m visually impaired) means that I take longer to get to the car.

When I say “slow down” it’s not a literal thing- it’s a spiritual thing. It’s an attitude of reflection. It means we stop and think about what’s going on in our day. We take time to be grateful. We take time to realize what we are thinking, feeling, and we give that to God. We set our minds right, before we “react” to the people around us.

I don’t know what’s going on in your life. You may be exceptionally good at being reflective. I hear a million podcasts, videos, and see many memes talking about this very subject. And though I know that many of us in America are trying to incorporate this into our lives, I know very few people that do it.

I think that’s because when we try to do it out of our own strength it just becomes a habit. IT often becomes about us rather than about living a life for the Lord. I know of a few people who incorporate so many rituals on “self-care” and “reflection” that it tips over into self-absorbed.

I’m simply saying that we want to be intentional with our actions. We want to know “why” we choose to live each day the way that we do. Is it to serve God or simply to check things off our lists? Is it to bless others or to look good to the world or even to look good to ourselves? The more time we take to be intentional, to reflect with the Lord, the more we have the capacity to love others deeply, to give with sincerity, to be selfless, to serve our king, and then to wake up and do it all again the next day.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Colossians 3:23

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3