SLOW Down
by Carla Foote

How are you at going slow? Do you ever feel like you’re just crawling in your car when you go through a school zone? The fines for school zones were recently increased in my town, so I’ve been watching my speed even more and I have to admit that 20 mph seems very slow, especially if there are no students around!

A number of years ago I attended an interdenominational workshop, with participants from a number of expressions of Christian faith. One of the leaders was a Catholic nun who led us in an exercise in slowing down. She had us walk slowly and methodically around the room, and then focus on walking even more slowly. It was hard!

Slow isn’t one of the gears that I am particularly good at, especially when it is my carpool day for soccer, there is an evening meeting at church and I have to squeeze dinner in too. Slow sounds like a great idea, but it feels like it won’t happen in my day.

The trouble is, if we don’t find that slow gear, we will miss things in life. Stopping to look at the really gorgeous tree turning colors. That last rose blooming in the garden. A moment to breathe and listen to the wonder of how God made our bodies. Listening to our children share the details of their day. Hearing the voice of God.

The Bible encourages us to slow down: Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) In I Kings 19:11-13, Elijah is invited into God’s presence on the mountain. There is a wind, an earthquake and a fire, but the Lord is not in any of those. He is in the gentle whisper.

Can you take a few moments to relish the slow gear and listen for the whisper today?