Walking shoes not running shoes
How many of us buy walking shoes not running shoes? Or have you had a difficult time admitting that you only desired to walk not run? There is an urgency in our culture to go for the gusto, grab life, go for it, just a pride in jolting through life. The truth is there is a time for hustle but also a time for walking. You wouldn't walk to train for a marathon any more than you would run when walking hand in hand allows conversation. The challenge is to know when to wear which shoes and what our pace should be.
Jesus walked. Even when there was urgency to what those around them were experiencing. He walked because he knew running would make Him miss an opportunity to connect along the way. In Luke 8 Jairus rushed up to Jesus and told Him to come quick his daughter was sick. Jesus walked and the girl died. He knew He could and would raise her back to life. Along the way a woman who had bled for twelve years touched His robe. He wouldn't have been available to heal her if He was bolting down the street.
This season in my life is definitely a walk not run season. What I wish I knew back when I had a house with four children and all their activities, was I needed to take time to walk then as well. Too often I scurried through raising kids rather than slowing my pace to connect with my kids. There is a time for hurry and slow down in all seasons of life.
The saying stop and smell the roses really is best practice. It is not about the flowers but the people in our lives that make life so sweet. Who can you reach out to today? Who can I call and have a conversation to simply check in? Relationships and connections only thrive when we take the necessary time to invest in them. Of course, we run around frantically when our house is on fire but we tend to keep that pace even when it is not called for. The fight or flight stride is not necessary or sustainable as a way of life.
A practical rest and connect mode is to make a list. Ronnie B. has a list in his phone of people to have Saturday morning breakfast with. He calls it the breakfast club. It makes us intentional to sit down with others. This not only keeps us linked to others, it reminds us that we have a circle that cares about us as we do about them. This season of isolation because of Covid has too often robbed us of the security that we are thought about and cared for by our people.
So pick up your phone, not to play Candy Crush or scroll through social media. Go to notes and make a list of people you can call, have coffee with, or invite over for a chat. This list will expand as you think of more and more people to include. Be prepared for a your friends being surprised to hear from you if it has been awhile. But as we all know it only takes a few moments to be right back in relationship. Let me know how it goes and give me a call. 505 670-1174. I would love to hear from you.
In Him,
Joyful
9-24-21
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