Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything. (Psalm 46:10, The Message)
Have you heard the expression “speed kills?” Perhaps this fact is no more apparent than in football. A football field is only 100 yards long and 53.33 yards wide. The faster a player can navigate that space, the more dangerous he will be.
It is a little different in the game of golf and life. In golf, rushing a shot never works. Slow. Rhythm. Tempo. This wins the day in a golf swing and even during a round of golf. Patiently allowing the day at the golf course to unfold slowly produces the best results. I am not talking about the pace of play but the calmness needed to swing with a slow, rhythmic tempo, and to enjoy the people with whom you play. Golf is meant to be enjoyed, not conquered.
Now, what about life? What do you think God would say to us regarding this subject?
I think God may say, “Be still and share this burden with me because I am God. Don’t hurry. Slow down and listen more. You are not able to do anything important when you are in a hurry. Being still and contemplating are conditions of the soul. Now, that is important. When you figure out what is important, you will know what to do.”
Many translations say be still. Be still, and reflect. Ponder good simple thoughts like Mary, the mother of Jesus. She reflected in stillness, and the Bible says she “treasured these things in her heart.” I believe we treasure things when we are still and not constantly striving.
So, what things should we quietly reflect upon? How about your salvation? How about grace and forgiveness? What about God’s eternal promises? Treasuring these things is best done quietly and contemplatively.
John Ortberg asked his mentor, Dallas Willard, “What do I need to do to be healthy spiritually? What do I need to do to guard my heart?” After a long pause, Dallas said, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Though our spiritual life has had other enemies in other eras, hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life today. When you hurry, you can hardly do anything the way that Jesus did it.
You cannot love in a hurry. You cannot listen to a child in a hurry. Hurry is a condition of the soul. It is an inward condition where a person is so frantic and preoccupied that they are unable to receive love from the Father and unable to be present with other people, to give love to them.”
Lives are changed in quiet, reflective moments. Step out of the traffic, and look to God for your answer. The traffic and speed will kill you; God will refresh and nourish you. I suggest that we all slow down.
Closing Prayer – Father, enable me to do what is most important—love You and others.