Slowing Down for Joy

I woke up with a start, my feet hitting the floor with a bang. The cup of coffee was small and quick and I gulped it down while I watched ten minutes of news. I rushed to the shower, got dressed for the day, and headed out the door to run errands. Between errands, I could feel my blood pressure rising. I needed to hurry through them to get back home to work.

I ran home and unloaded the acquired bags, thinking about when I would squeeze in the gym. I headed to my office, the computer glaring at me, where it always sits and waits for me. I sighed as I took another long sip of coffee (new cup).

This was not how I wanted to live!

The thing about being busy, and mostly being in a hurry while busy, is it takes away my joy. I didn’t get to wake up slowly in the morning while I drink my coffee. I didn’t do my errands deliberately because I was in a hurry to get to the next thing, to the next chore, to get to work… but why?

I’m doing too much. And what I am doing involves zero joy. Here’s my thought: Maybe it doesn’t all need to get done at once. From what I’ve read about Jesus, he was never in a hurry. So, why am I?

After taking a few more sips of coffee, I decided I didn’t want to hurry anymore. I was done with it. Forever. I wanted to tackle every goal and to-do item on my list with a slowness that drove me to my errands with ease, not rush through the store to get home. This reflects a life of trust in God.

Hurrying implies I can’t trust myself to do it all. But, maybe God doesn’t want me to do it all. Maybe that’s the point of feeling overwhelmed. My priorities should be Him, not me thinking I have to do it all. Now.

When I slow down and focus on His word, I find His love is better than life. My focus shifts to Him (rather than everything I need to do) and my joy returns.

“The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart” (Psalm 19:8, NIV).

Finch Food for Thought: Slowing down gives us strength and joy for each day. So… slow down!