“Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10
Having to wait for Fast Food makes us angry. Amazon Prime being delayed irritates us as we wait for that package to be delivered. Feeling frustrated with the person driving the speed limit in the fast lane. Why are we so determined to do everything quickly?
I doubt that many of us actually believe that ‘faster is always better’ (remember the instant coffee days or getting our orders quickly only to discover that in their rush they got the order wrong?), but most of us behave like it. In all sorts of ways we’ve sacrificed quality in favor of speed. And I believe we do it because we’re addicted.
We’re addicted, consciously or not, to acceleration. We ‘live and move and have our being’ in our culture that insists on measuring everything in terms of productivity and efficiency. Our inner voice screams; “Try harder!”, “Do things more better!”, “Do things faster!”. I remember as a student always trying to be the first one finished on a test.
Carl Honoré in his book, In Praise of Slow, says that “we’re like Scrooge with a stopwatch, cramming more into every hour, stretching ourselves to a breaking point.”
I believe that it is time for us to slow down. If I’ve learned anything during the pandemic, it’s that we struggle with quiet time. We feel that we have to be busy. With that being said, I also believe that we’re all longing, consciously or not, for stillness.
Here are two important reasons why:
First, When someone asks, “How are you?” and I reply, “I’m busy!” it’s a sign that I’ve forgotten who and whose I am; it’s a symptom of my addiction to the craziness of our world.
Like the prodigal son’s brother, I’m justifying myself in terms of what I’ve been doing, rather than who God has made me to be. That’s why I relish the brief moments when I can go to the beach or the mountains, or on a walk or simply sit at my piano and spend time enjoying the goodness of God.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
We weren’t meant to burn out but to burn brightly for God, which leads me to another point,
We need to slow down to know God. This full reality comes when we stop and allow God, our creator, to be the most important priority in our lives. It’s in those quiet moments that we can really sense His presence, when we can discern His voice from among the many voices calling out for our attention. Like the Psalmist, we need to “…be still and know.”
I would love to hear your thoughts,