Education
I remember well my mother telling me frequently as an active young boy to “slow down.”I was quite convinced that slowing down was a type of punishment and a ploy to hamper my idea of fun.Now a few years later, I am starting to better understand her words of wisdom.Slowing down is not necessarily a bad thing; it is just hard to do for most of us.The pace of life generated by contemporary culture has certainly not moved us in that direction.As a matter of fact, we do not dare slow down because we are fearful we will be left out, left behind, or miss something critical that could bring us success. Recently our pastor quoted from a book entitled In Praise of Slowness.I ordered the book and of course I am now trying to find the time to read it.Ironic isn’t it?My mother’s advice is still right on target. In a very unfortunate way, the present economic environment has brought us as a society and as individuals to a slower pace as the need to prioritize and choose what we can and should be doing becomes more important and necessary, maybe this could be a little silver lining in a very dark cloud.we are told by tourism experts that people are staying closer to home this summer and enjoying activities that are less costly and more family friendly.Not a bad thing. Summer is frequently a time when we see how many activities we can interject into our already busy lives.We tend to want to add more action in the summer rather than replace some activities for a season.However, for this summer I would encourage teachers, students, parents, and even grandparents to see how much you can take out of your lives and not how much more you can put in.After all, one of the purposes of a summer break for a school is to provide a time to rest and restore our bodies, minds, and spirit.Slow down…listen more…walk more…just sit still more…and enjoy the awesome creation that we have been given by God.We have been given the gift of a beautiful place to live and work in this corner of God’s world but have we taken the time recently to appreciate and acknowledge that gift?To squeeze in a few more activities and events might not be the best way to really recognize and enjoy God’s gifts to us. A common question at this time of year is, “Do you have any plans for this summer?”How about if we have the courage to answer, “I am going to slow down and really enjoy what I have already been given by God,” rather than immediately coming up with a list of trips and events to be part of and work we hope to finish.These are all good things, but maybe we should reduce that list by one or two activities and not feel guilty about that. Who knows how much that might change our lives? Slow down.God knew from the beginning of time that we as humans, made in His image, need a Sabbath.We need cycles of rest, weekly or annually, but it seems we have not paid enough attention to preserving that gift.We are too busy trying to get ahead or catching up or doing as many things as possible in the time allotted.Remember that Christ said there is really only one important thing we need to be doing: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.We have made it a whole lot more complicated than that.So let’s slow down and get back to the basics.