The Slow Way

A wise friend recently told me that I needed to stop rushing. My days are full from the moment my head leaves the pillow in the morning to the moment I lie back down at night. I couldn’t imagine not rushing from one thing to the next. His advice seemed both silly and impossible.

I began to wonder what impact rushing through my days was having on my life. I noticed that I often have a mysterious bruise or two from bumping into corners I didn’t see in my haste. I noticed that I’m often thinking about what’s coming next instead of paying attention to what’s happening now. I noticed that I often try to do things the fast way instead of the right way.

As I was walking to the bus this morning, I thought about how it would be so much faster to drive to work. I then paused and appreciated taking the “slow way” to work. My morning walk to the bus takes me along the Potomac river, near the budding hydrangeas on Prospect Street, and among the birds with the morning sun shining on my face. My walk gives me space to take a breath and prepare myself for the day. I felt my urge to rush to work, but I stopped myself to take in the life happening around me, especially outside of my little bubble of busyness.

I miss so much when I rush and I get stuck in my own world. It also becomes much harder for God to interrupt my days and make God’s presence known. To me, the most profound stories in scripture revolve around abrupt interruption: Moses was tending his sheep when he was interrupted by the burning bush; the disciples’ ordinary lives were interrupted and they were compelled to follow Jesus; Paul was abruptly blinded on the road to Damascus. I could go on!

I hope to cultivate in myself a heart and mind that are open to God’s interruption and not fixated on my own plans. I frequently pray that God would interrupt me, especially when I get too narrowly focused on myself. The greatest joys in life come from these unexpected interruptions. Scripture gives significant examples, and I’m sure you can point to many in your own life as well. I hope you can find a chance this week to take the slow way and open yourself to be interrupted.

Text copyright © 2023 Grace Woodward. All rights reserved.