Slow It Is

"The best things in life move slowly. They can hardly overtake one who is in a hurry. We are making haste to ill purpose if we haven't time to read good books, to think quietly, to visit our friends, to comfort the sick and sorrowing, to enjoy the beautiful creations of God and man, and to lend a hand to a struggling brother. Time is precious, but more precious than fleeting hours are truth, love, benevolence, friendship, service, a serene mind and a happy heart, for these are the essence of life itself."

Gilbert Hay, "Serenity Is . . ."

I use to have a sign in my room that said: "How beautiful it is to do nothing and rest afterwards . . ." There are several books out to promote this theory such as "The Art of Doing Nothing: Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself" and "The Joy of Doing Nothing."

 In Catherine Marshall's book, Stories From the Heart, she told this story about the picture of peace:

"There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

"One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

 

                                                                                                                                                 Brothersoft

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

 

"But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest--in perfect peace.

"Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"'Because,' explained the king, 'peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.'"

 

You may not be inclined to live slowly, having the energy and desire to be on the move, and I admire that, but I invite you to set aside some time to consider how you spend all your hours.

When I gave talks on note writing and wanted to stress the importance about taking time to write a note, I would tell this story from the Hallmark book "God Always Has a Plan B." "It seems that some African missionaries had hired a number of native workers to carry their supplies from one village to another. The Missionaries, possessed of the American 'push-rush-hurry' mentality, verbally prodded their native employees every day to go a little faster and a little farther than they had the day before. Finally, after three days of being pushed and hurried, the native workers sat down and refused to move. 'What in the world is the problem?' the American missionaries wanted to know. 'We have been making excellent time. There's no need to stop here.' 'It is not wise to go so rapidly,' the spokesman for the native workers explained. 'We have moved too fast yesterday. Now today we must stop and wait here for our souls to catch up with our bodies.'"

 During this season of fall, let's slow down and enjoy the splendor of God's handiwork. We're all invited:

 October gave a party

The leaves by hundreds came

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet

And everything was grand

Miss Weather led the dancing

Professor Wind the band.

George Cooper

"I cannot be the man I should be without times of quietness. Stillness is an essential part of our growing deeper as we grow older."

Charles R. Swindoll (1934- )