Slow Down? No Way.

Paul Simon wrote a song that in part says, "Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last" Slow down. Does that sound crazy? In this lightning speed world of Internet information overload, how can you slow down? Won't you lose if you slow down?

I wonder if you could think of it in a different way. Don't slow down. Change pursuit. Your nature will not let you slow down, so you might as well admit it.Our culture will not let you slow down. So, what should you pursue with all the energy you can muster? The Kingdom.

Now that I took you into a side street, what will we talk about? What is the Kingdom? Well let me go deep and say, it is what brings joy. True joy. Now a hard question. Are you joyful? As you rapidly pursue life, and all that it entails and all the things of the world, or at least some of them, it is good to ask if they bring joy or just a sense of being "filled" like a hamburger and fries does for your stomach.

Real pursuit, (not play pursuit) of the Kingdom brings joy and peace. Here is how you go there: Let go of the stuff that stresses you out (that is a hint by the way that it may not be of God) and replace it with the pleasant, measured, steady, slow, relaxed pursuit of God, His Word and His people. Note all those adjectives I used: slow, steady, relaxed, pleasant. That is what the garden was like and what heaven will be like, so we should begin to re-set our paradigm to that end.

Now some practical things to pursue the Kingdom and its King. More walking, more reading, less Internet, less sports. More salads, less meat. More time spent listening to people. Less time talking. More time alone and more time with people. More time eating at home with friends for dinner. More sleep. Yes, it can be a bit confusing, but I think you get the picture. It is life lived pursuing Him, and He walks. And it is always, always with the love of the King as the motivation for all of life's activities.

In the end you will do less, but be more. You will weigh less but be weightier. You will love more and be loved less by those who want a piece of you for their own trophy case.

Hopefully that is helpful. There is no magic formula and your pattern will be different from mine. So, can I encourage you to think about a re-direct? Blessings.