Slowing Down

Sometimes you just need to slow down. Slow down and smell the flowers. Slow down and take a moment to breathe. Slow down and feel the pain you’re feeling. Slow down and let go of all the things you’re trying to do, seemingly on your own. Slow down. Slow. Down.

Each of us, to a certain degree, carries around burdens in our hearts, on our minds, and pulls on our spirits. The love we have for others can weigh upon us as we worry about their success, enjoyment, and quality of life. The pain we feel over losses we have suffered aches our beings into numbness. And the stresses and anxieties we can feel over what could happen exhaust us to the point where we struggle to find energy for the beautiful and fulfilling moments in life when they happen.

I’m not any better at this than any of you. I stress over my kids and their well-being. I tense up and feel pain when I hear you, any of you, any one of you are going through a tough time. I hear the pause before the answers of ‘I’m okay’ are said because you’re weighing how much to share. Again, I do the same thing.

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What I hope you understand is that we are not meant to go through life alone. Nor are we intended to carry all these burdens by ourselves for so long. We, like anything in creation, are bound to the laws of physics and pressure. Think of a tree when pushed upon and how it will at some point snap. Or consider the bottle of soda/pop/coke (whichever is your preferred term) is shaken up; and can only take so much pressure before it bursts. Much is the same for our bodies as stress, anxiety, grief, love, anticipation, and everything else can take their toll upon both our physical bodies, minds, hearts, and spirits. And again, I know I do this too!

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So, when Jesus invites us to ‘not worry,’ we have to hear this as a deep invitation to practice faith, putting our trust in God to set all that stuff aside and let go of it for a while. Jesus invites us to slow down! There’s the story of Jesus asleep in the boat as the disciples sail them all across the Sea of Galilee. And when they wake him because they're terrified of the storm, he asks them, ‘Y’all of little faith, why did you doubt?’ (Matthew 8:26a)

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What would it look like for us to slow down? Slow down and smell the flowers? Slow down and take a moment to breathe? Slow down and feel the pain you’re feeling? Slow down and let go of all the things you’re trying to do, seemingly on your own? Slow down? Slow? Down? Join me in slowing down a bit; and notice what God is doing right here, right now! Amen