I’ll Tell You What…

As a kid, I remember hearing adults say things like “time flys when you get old.” I never fully understood how time could get faster the older we got until I became an adult. It’s no wonder that there’s so much high blood pressure and other kinds of self-induced heart disease in our society…

Where has the time gone this year? Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas less than a month after that. Have I been so busy that I haven’t noticed the changes that have occured around me? What about the people that I come in contact with on a daily basis? Have I neglected to see the changes, good or bad, there? I don’t think I can categorically say that because I have taken some time to reflect on the situations I am in.

I think that in our busy culture we sometimes fail to get personally involved in what surrounds us whether it be people, nature or places. We wake up early only to realize that traffic is heavy and we are going to be late. Our blood pressure rises a little because the situation did not happen as planned so we speed through traffic in hopes of recouping lost time.

Does this describe you in the morning? I’m sure that if you live in or work in a densely populated area you can relate. This is me sometimes, I have to admit. But, I have learned over the years that it doesn’t have to be that way. Believe it or not, it is possible to accept the circumstances that you cannot change.

For me it wasn’t not something that I learned overnight. It has more to do with patience than anything else and we all know that praying “Lord, give me patience….now” doesn’t do anything but place us in a circumstance that demands patience. It takes a determined heart and mind that says, “When I am in a situation that will try my patience, I will stop myself and be slow to speak out against the circumstance because obviously, there’s something to learn here.”

This kind of thought takes a lot of discipline to master and most of us, including myself, have a long way to go. 2 Cor 10:5-6 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.” (NIV) This is important stuff but I know that I cannot so it on my own. I need to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me and direct me when I find myself in those situations.

Solomon even had some words for those of us who jump the gun and speak out in haste and react quickly to adverse situations. We would be wise to follow his advice!

Eccl 6:11
11 The more words you speak, the less they mean. So why overdo it? (NLT)

Eccl 3:7
a time to be silent and a time to speak, (NIV)

Prov 29:20
20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (NIV)

Prov 13:3
3 Those who control their tongue will have a long life; a quick retort can ruin everything. (NLT)

Eccl 5:2
2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (NIV)

So as I try to follow the advice of Solomon and the direction of the Holy Spirit, I urge you to do the same. You might just find that it really is possible to slow down and enjoy the peace that comes from God.