Slowing Down From Life in the Fast Lane
Our culture is busy and always in a hurry. We are always looking for the next big thing or way we can inch our way up the corporate ladder. That drive can sometimes distract us from being content with our current circumstances. What are we trying to prove? Constantly trying to grab the next rung of the ladder leaves us little time to excel at our current position.
I’ve walked through seasons of life that are busier than others, and sometimes the burden I carried was just too great. The pressure I placed on myself precluded me from being present with those I loved or focusing on the responsibilities the Lord entrusted to me.
I believe the COVID-19 pandemic gave the world a wake-up call by removing so many of the “extra” things in life and forced us to slow down and simplify. At first, there was a void, a longing for activity and hustle, but as the months carried on, many of us found our less-hurried life refreshing.
As life has picked up once again, the summer brings another season to slow down. Remember when you were a kid and each day during the summer was a clean slate for adventure? Growing up somehow makes most of us lose the magic once felt during those months of summer vacation. It doesn’t have to be this way. Let the pandemic and summer help you realize when life is moving too fast.
For a lot of us, summer is a time for a family vacation, a little more relaxation and long days of sunshine. Make it a priority to put on the brakes and enjoy the small things in life, such as time with family or a day in the park.
When we are overworked, we can’t care for the people in our lives the way Christ calls us to. In his book, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” Pastor John Mark Comer says, “The reality is, most of us are just too busy to live an emotionally healthy and spiritually vibrant life.”
Examine the “hurry” in your life and evaluate if it is distracting you from fulfilling the calling God has on your life. A big learning for me early in my career was that every time I say yes to something to add to my already full plate of commitments, I am actually saying no to something else (that now will be negatively impacted by my saying yes-many times it may be time with family and time with the Lord that gets cut back to make more room for my yes). There are always opportunities for becoming more like Christ and modeling the love, joy and peace that He models for us. Go to Him to find ultimate rest and relief from life in the fast lane. And check in with Him before committing to the new yes.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
-- Matthew 11:28-30