“I feel the need…the need for speed”—Maverick and Goose, Top Gun
Slow is my nemesis. It’s for those who are unproductive, lazy, indecisive and lacking vision. Slow is for losers. Slow is a certain path to destruction. If slow ever did tempt me into trusting it, Facebook and Twitter would be right there constantly reminding me how far behind I’m getting.
I spend most of my life trying to be faster, more responsive, leveraging every minute. Let’s face it: When some mega-productive youth minister speaks about having margin in his or her life, do any of us really believe it? Surely they are throwing this idea out for all us suckers who, when we try to set boundaries with our senior pastors, end up getting fired. Surely they are living fast and only trying to keep the rest of us slow so they’re better able to get ahead. Possibly the business mantra “The Big eat the Small” has morphed into “The Fast eat the Slow.”
It makes me wonder: How did those who honor slow conclude that it was the best way to live? Could it be because they lived fast for so long, and like Solomon, surveyed their accomplishments and determined that it was all vanity? Maybe slowing down and surveying life is a luxury reserved for the rich and famous?
Nope. The wisdom of slow living is available to us now; we don’t have to learn its value by looking back over our lives. Solomon teaches us, “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way” (
Do we need more reflection than that? Slow has value…good spiritual value. Maybe the wealth, power, fame and influence of productive people acquired by being fast is the price they paid for the wisdom of living slow they now make available to us. We would be wise to heed their wisdom.
You May Already Have What You Are Seeking
If you follow me on Twitter, you know I tweet about food a lot. I love to cook and eat. Cooking helps me slow down after a long day and reconnect with my wife and our two teenage children. Cooking also forces me to stop my workday at a reasonable time so I can get dinner ready. This is important; I work from home, and it’s easy for the two to become muddled in the same space. With busy teens, we only get a couple nights to eat together—if we’re lucky—so mealtimes are a priority. On the occasion we can’t make dinner, we go out and often will pick up sandwiches at Jimmy John’s.
There is a great story on the wall of this restaurant reminding me about the value of being slow. A wealthy businessman on vacation encounters a poor fisherman on the beach. The businessman sees the fisherman and inquires about his day. “I wake up, I catch some fish, I sell them in the market. Then I play guitar, take a nap, and hang out on the beach with my friends,” the fisherman explains.
The businessman responds, explaining how the fisherman needs to use his time better and expand his business by purchasing more boats, franchising, and turning it into a publicly traded conglomerate in the next 20 years so he can amass a fortune and retire.
“What will I do then?” the fisherman asks.
The businessman replies, “You can come here to the beach, play guitar, take a nap and hang out with your friends.”
It’s so easy to allow life to carry us away into something we easily could have right now, and along the way lose so much. This is an important motivating question:
Are we opting for fast when we easily could have what we want right now simply by slowing down?
My Own Medicine
As I write this just days before the National Youth Workers Convention in Nashville, I’m tired and emotionally exhausted. I am in need of slow time.
What I am looking forward to next is the weeks of vacation I haven’t used this year. I need them. I’ll be worthless moving forward if I don’t take advantage of them. I’ve been pushing myself too hard. I should know better…I’ve counseled others to take time to slow down, and it’s time for me to take my own advice.
However, it’s not just slowing down that is important, but who we are slowing down to be with. Jesus calls us to step away from the speed of life and enter His slow kingdom. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (
In a world promising us success from a life lived fast, Jesus calls us to stop and rest. We need to drop out of the school of Martha and enroll in the school of Mary. We need to be as present with Jesus as He is with us. The long-term value of your life’s service is worth far more than a momentary burst.
The kingdom of God is now. You do not need to amass a fortune or achieve a position of influence before you enjoy the wisdom of slowing down. It’s available to you now.
