Try to slow down (1)

“You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the Lord will go ahead of you…[and] protect you from behind.” Isaiah 52:12 NLT

Have you heard of “hurry sickness”? Those who have it zoom in and out of lanes in congested traffic; try to be the first off the plane, even though they must wait forever at baggage claim; honk at you if you don’t take off like a racehorse when the traffic light turns green; tap their fingers against anything they can find when they have to wait; punch the elevator button repeatedly to attempt to move it faster. They remind us of hummingbirds. These tiny birds can fly forward, then hover in mid-air going nowhere. Their tiny wings can move up to seventy-five times each second! The trouble is, their average life span is only three years compared to an eagle that lives thirty years. What’s the difference? The eagle has learned to conserve its energy by riding the God-given wind currents. The message here is simple: when you draw on the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, you last longer and go higher than you ever dreamed. One pastor said he was a “stress-distributing machine” when he was younger, and everybody around him felt it. One day one of his kids said to him, “Daddy, I’ll try to hurry up and tell you this.” He replied, “It’s okay, honey, you can speak slowly.” After a long pause, he had an “aha” moment when his child said, “Then—listen—slowly!” Deciding to move at a slower pace will definitely improve the quality of your life and your relationships.

Bible in a year: Job 20-21 and 1 Corinthians 3