What If We Slowed Down?

What would it look like if we slowed down enough that we didn’t need to look at our watches or smartphones because we were finally walking at a pace that simply kept up with the slow stroll of walking with our Messiah?

Jesus shared these words one day, an invitation that I want to accept and apply so that I might experience what he desires for those who say yes to learning his rhythms.

28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11.28-30 (CSB)

Rest. A word that reveals a place that seems beyond our grasp. A place where we all want to be but find ourselves almost never entering because of the pace of life that we living – or better described, existing. The constant go and never stopping because stopping is too often connected to being lazy. We work and go and strive all year, going at a pace that is not sustainable. And we say that we will use our vacations to catch up, but those often turn into more of the same.

I’m currently in a season of learning to slow down. I was challenged by this by John Mark Comer in his book, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” And as I’ve applied some of the things in the book, I’ve found my soul finding the rest that Jesus offers. Hurry is exhausting. Hurry is a thief that takes and never gives. John Mark Comer makes this statement:

“Not only does hurrry help keep us from the love, joy, and peace of the kingdom of God—the very core of what all human beings crave—but it also keeps us from God himself simply by stealing our attention. And with hurry, we always lose more than we gain.”

He then goes on to quote Walter Adams, the spiritual director to C.S. Lewis:

“To walk with Jesus is to walk with a slow, unhurried pace. Hurry is the death of prayer and only impedes and spoils our work. It never advances it.”

So my aim is to slow down; to read more and binge less; to write more and waste less time; to take walks and slow drives; to journal my journey with Jesus; to waste time with Jesus in his word; to learn to be. And this doesn’t mean that I’ll not work hard because I believe working hard is a blessing given to us by God since the beginning of creation. But I will not allow my ego to cause me to push harder than God calls me to go. I’ll even take naps without feeling guilty for doing so. I’ll learn to Sabbath with the Lord (and this has proven to be difficult so far. Thank God for his grace and patience as I learn). I am committed to slowing down and learning to walk at the pace of Jesus.

Will you join me? I would love to hear that you will. Leave a comment below.