The Tortoise Life

We live in a world that is fast and furious.  We fill our organizers with one thing after another.  Down time rarely exists in our lives.  If we are not busy at work, then we are busy with our free time.  The truth be told, we are busy with both of them.  Life just has so many demands on our time.

That hectic lifestyle carries over into our spiritual life as well.  We do not have time to go to church, so we watch it on the web.  We do not have time to read our Bibles, so we settle for a podcast.  We are always in a hurry!

The problem with always being in a hurray is that we become shallow people.  There is no depth to our lives.  No time to stop and smell the roses.  One anonymous person said it this way, “Slow me down Lord.  I am going too fast, I can’t see my brother when he is walking past, I miss a lot of good things day by day, I don’t know a blessing when it comes my way.”  Moving our daily lives at lightening speed causes us to miss the blessing God has in store for us.

It amazes me that Jesus had a huge responsibility upon His shoulders.  He had to train a group of disciples to spread His gospel worldwide in just three years.  Yet, not one, no not one time in all the gospels is it ever recorded that he did anything in a hurry.  The Lord records wise words to us hurried people in Isaiah 40:31, “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”  Notice, those convicting words to us twenty-first century Christians— “will gain new strength.”  Now, you know why you feel so weary at the end of each day.  To get renewed energy requires that you “wait for the Lord.”

That tortoise life is not so bad after all.  Let’s slow down our pace and “wait for the Lord.”  That’s how you win the race.