The Holiness of Slow … Hello weekend readers. It’s hard to believe we are finishing the 3rd week of July already! Where does the time go? Well, it goes by and it does it quickly. In fact, this week reminds me of a busyness that is beyond busy (I think that is a statement, if not I declare it is now!) My musings are on our constant busy lives that have us going helter-skelter every day. My Navajo friend would say “Cyndy, you must remember the turtle, who is slow because he is absorbing wisdom so he can live in peace.” I nod a yes and say “this is so true” but within a few minutes I’m off doing something else. O Lord, make me a turtle! All this brings me to a short story by Anna Rendell, a writer of wit and wisdom on how to love your life—enjoy.

“You’re so busy!” was a phrase I heard often. When someone said it, usually accompanied by a little nervous laughter, my smile would falter for a moment before I replied. I realized that I must have been wearing stress like a badge of honor. Why? Well, for instance when I walked into a room, I’d be huffing, puffing and rolling my eyes at the circus act that it took to bring three kids anywhere. It’s usually a sweaty mess because there are 3 bags to carry, 3 car seats to unbuckle, 3 jackets to zip kids into, 6 shoes to tie, a double stroller to set up, and one mom juggling it all. But I also realized that I was no different than any other mom of tiny children; yet most of my friends seemed much calmer when arriving, not like me—frantic and out of breath. I’d hustle us from home to preschool and back from task to task once we were at home. That’s when I began to realize that, if I continued to set a precedent of this hustling, hurrying and rushing through our days, it wouldn’t set us up for success; instead, it would destroy us. My “to-do list” was owning my heart. I felt like I hadn’t spent enough time being with my kids or myself. My list was giving me anxiety, overshadowing any peace I so desperately needed. I was stretching like Mrs. Incredible—except real people aren’t made from elastic, and when stretched too thin—we snap. There was always more to accomplish; refreshing my heart wasn’t high on the to-do list and that is when I sat in my chair and loudly declared “Anna, you are sacrificing the holiness of ordinary everyday moments for hustled minutes and you are NOT OK about this!”

How about you? Do you find yourself at 100mph or are you like the turtle, stopping to see and listen and invite the Creator’s words for your life? Think about this: in Scripture we find over and over again that slow is HOLY…that everything that is HOLY and ANCIENT is worthwhile because it works slowly.

On the weeks Al and I are the camp hosts, meals are quick, done in the microwave. But those weeks when we are off—now we can cook a real meal, like baby-back ribs or delicious burgers and veggies on the BBQ. It’s like when we plant our garden and we wait—sometimes wanting it to grow quicker but the gift of God’s food for us needs to take its time so it can become the delicious fruits and vegetables our Creator made for us. And it feels good; not just for our body but for our soul. It’s like a warm hug from God who is smiling when we take the holy-slow-way to enjoy, discover and find the wisdom and grace God has for us.

Friend, this is no accident. God has not called us to rush and hurry and hustle through our days. He’s called us to be still, in so many words, in so many Scriptures such as:

Psalm 23 promises that He will lead us beside still waters and faithfully restore our souls.

Psalm 46:10 implores us to be still and to know that He alone is God.

Exodus 14:14 declares that if we are still, He will fight for us.

1 Samuel 12:16 bids us to stand still so we can see what He’s going to do.

Psalm 37:7 says to be still and wait patiently for Him and not go ahead of Him

Let’s use the Navajo wisdom from the turtle: let’s intentionally be slow and steady to make the changes for the peace we need in our lives. Those words about holiness: All holy. All ancient. All worthwhile. All slow—not a single one of them is something that can be hurried through. So, let’s give God the space to do what only God can accomplish in our stillness. Let’s intentionally listen for God’s voice saying “be still child, I got this” and surrender our busyness to God’s strength. And, if we are patient, the outcome will be a delightful rest and the beautiful ride into the holiness of slow. AMEN.