Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

I clicked without thinking.

The seller had beautiful wares. I thought they would be ideal for Christmas.

I didn’t research. I didn’t pray. I didn’t heed that little voice telling me to wait.

I clicked.

Of course, it was a disaster. Several emails (and fervant prayers) later, I’ve been promised a full refund I’m waiting to materialize in my payment service.

This is not a feeling I enjoy but it’s one I have too often. Regret. Chumpdom. All because I clicked too quick.

Our world moves fast. Our God is slow. We should take the hint–not the bait!

• God is slow to anger. (Exodus 34:6)
• Jacob determined to travel slowly for the sake of his children and nursing flocks. (Genesis 33:13).
• Moses was slow of speech. (Exodus 4:10)
• The wise are slow to anger. (Proverbs 14:29)
• Sometimes our vision is slow to be realized but we are wise to wait. (Habakkuk 2:3)
• God call His people to be slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to anger. (James 1:19)
• The Lord seems slow to return but Peter tells us, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Our world, our situations, our moods, our opinions, and our lives move at lightning speed. Breaking news seems to come at every hour. That baby you rocked is chasing after children of her own. Yesterday you agonized over a blemish in the mirror but now the face staring back is wrinkled and the hair is gray.

When my adult children sit for a moment to chat but then rise too quickly to carry on their day, my heart says tarry, stay awhile, pause here with me because whatever it is can wait, don’t you see?

But then, alone, I hear the Spirit of the Lord whisper those words to me as I close my Bible too quickly and rush my prayers so I can be about my day. I glance over my shoulder to see Him pat the chair beside Him and invite me into His.

To love is to linger, to dwell, to abide.

Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23 esv).

So, here’s my best counsel this week, to combat the stress, the fear, the noise, the rush of a world exploding in our hands: Slow your roll.

Let your walk with Jesus be a stroll this week.

Fall behind with the news, the laundry, the headlines, the status updates, and the to-do list.

Linger over a meal. Tarry with your coffee reading your Bible. Dawdle with a friend and listen to the wind blow the tops of the trees.

Exhale.

Let your life reflect the slowness of God. Resist the quick click and embrace the plodding prayer.

Take in the view.

Watch a spider spin a web.

Listen for the birds.

Let others pass you by, leave you behind, win the race without noticing you’ve dropped out.

Be a straggler.

Think a long thought.

Feel your soul expand.

If God moves slowly, it only makes sense you’ll find Him there at the back of the line, letting others go first.

What’s the hurry? After all, we do have forever.

What do you do to slow down? I respond to every comment and reply to every email. And, I pray for each of you always. Be sure to write.

Life coming at you fast? Slow your roll. https://t.co/2Ad8rLaiRr #slowdown #Jesus

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) September 19, 2024