Time to Slow Down
Well hello! It has been about two weeks since I last sat and wrote for my blog. My family and I took a trip down to visit family in Dallas, Texas. I had not been back to visit because of the pandemic. So it was a much-needed time for the family and me.
We did arrive when the weather was crazy- icy snow and freezing temperatures. But a few days later, we had some beautiful sunny days and were able to be out and about. I wanted to take some time to write while I was in Dallas (I didn't want to neglect my blog, since I just started), although I couldn't focus when I would sit to write. I then thought, well there will be plenty of time when I get home. My time in that moment was to be with family. I got to thinking about how sometimes being in the moment can be harder than it seems. We underestimate the importance of slowing down and acknowledging the blessings all around us.
Have you ever been driving somewhere, and it feels like you are in a race? While in Dallas, as we drove through the city, it felt at times like we were racing everywhere. We weren’t in a hurry anywhere, not needing to keep track of time, but because it was happening all around us, it was very exhausting. I wasn't even the one driving. I was a back-seat-driver, lol. In this case, you either join in to keep up, or you're the one driver people are speeding past because you aren't keeping up. I have been both.
But in my experience, it is very exhausting to keep up. You are tense, and it feels like you have to beat everyone around you. Be in the right lane, speed past the "slow" cars in your way, get mad because someone else moved into "your" lane. When you get to your destination and finally slow down enough and catch your breath, you feel exhausted. I can't help but think this is sometimes how we manage our own life, just rushing from one thing to another. We are so focused on the destination that we aren't taking in the moment of transition from here to there. I don't know if you have seen the movie Click. But in the movie, the dad (played by Adam Sandler) is so busy with his work and getting ahead at work that he wants to speed past all the time he needs to be spending with his family, using a remote control he purchases. He speeds past so many special moments with the family that it was too late when he was finally ready to spend time with them. He has missed out on all the moments and special memories.
It may be hard sometimes to slow down and enjoy the transition period, but there is so much purpose in that time. The time in transition is really a gift! It's a time to learn and grow. It test our patience. It allows for so much time invested with Jesus, with family and friends. It makes the destination even that much sweeter. No matter what transition you are in, God is there, guiding you. It's the rush of life that robs us of the present. Life is full of blessings if we only pause to acknowledge and appreciate them.
Lean into God and trust His ways. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says there's a time and a season for everything. Slowing down really challenges us to put our trust and hope in Jesus and His timing for everything. Ask God to help you in this area, you will see how His peace will overcome you. Slow down to enjoy what is happening around you and what God is doing in the present. Life gets so busy with to-dos and worries for tomorrow. Sometimes it's a little overwhelming, but God is so good and faithful. He holds our life in His hands. He knows us and His word reminds us to live one day at a time (Matt. 6:34).