Slow Down - You Will Climb Higher and Better

I've watched my share of great climbers (I'm not one of them). And I'm always amazed by their patience, deliberation and pauses to ponder their next move. Unless they are in a competition for time, they rarely rush. They know that great climbing is not a race, it's a journey. It's not a competition but a conquering. Getting to the summit must not be hurried.

And yet so much of our culture models and requires hurry. I was driving home from lunch with my wife today and behind me a woman in her SUV was clearly frustrated and appeared angry that she could not make me go faster. I couldn't have if I wanted to but that didn't matter to her.

I then needed to change lanes and watched her place her bumper inches behind the next car. She would jerk forward hoping to go on and then slam on her brakes when the car in front of her had to stop again. She was a mess . . . and in a hurry. I don't think she was having fun.

Yes, there are times to hurry - to the hospital, when late for work or to help a friend in need perhaps. But most of the time hurry can be at worst disastrous and at best distracting. Disastrous when we make a horrible mistake and the result is unnecessary catastrophy. Distracting when our constant harried pace through life or a climb causes us to miss some of the views, the moments, the experiences that are what life is really about.

We can hurry through the early days of marriage, the young or even teen years of our kids. We can hurry through each day and miss special moments hearing the stories of people all around us or seeing special moments of life. We can hurry through our job and not enjoy the simple accomplishment of success or a project well done.

Who of us hasn't said I wish I would have ____________ when I was ___________?   I wonder if we would have less of those wishes if we'd only hurried less.

Some suggestions?  Do some intentional slowing down. Drive slower, eat slower, talk less, remove a few unnecessary things from your schedule. Get rid of the thinking that you're have to live up to some sort of potential.  Guess what?  You never will so stop trying.

Drop your entitlement thinking.  We all believe that we're entitled to that place on the road, that next step up the corporate ladder, that activity or school for our kids.  It's alright to do your best to get for you or your family a certain benefit but when we starting demanding those benefits we start hurrying more and often there is a price to pay.

Give yourself more time.  Whether it's a real mountain or a life mountain or just a daily acitivity purposely plan more hours or minutes to do it, not less. As one writer calls it add margin to your life.  Even God took time to rest, to slow down.  If He can, we can too.

Very few great things are easy or quick. Spend your time this week, this month, this year doing more great things with your life . . . but you will have to slow down.