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| What’s the rush? Let’s take the long way… |
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Does it really do any good to insist on taking the fastest way from point A to point B? Granted if we’re trying not to be late, out of consideration for someone else, I can understand a little urgency. But in general, what’s the mega-hurry? So we go a mile or two out of our way, so what? Is that mile or minute worth chipping away at your driver’s nerves? Some people, like me, are just less concerned about the efficiency of transit, preferring instead to enjoy the ride.
I’ll bet Jesus enjoyed the ride. When was he ever in a hurry?
How many times does the bible exhort us to hurry up!? Did any of the prophets, or the apostles, or any other bearer of God’s word, insist that speed and efficiency were of the utmost importance to God? Where are all the deadlines in the bible?
On the contrary, I see that patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) as well as a character trait of God (Joel 2:13). He is also long-suffering (Jer. 15:15), willing to wait for people (1 Pet. 3:9, 20). He tells us to “be still”, rather than to scurry about (Ps. 46:10). He tells us to consider the birds (Matt. 6:25-34), creatures that don’t know deadlines, but instead live worry-free lives as God cares for them and meets their needs. He even says if he meets their needs, how much more will he meet our needs, as his very children?!
So what’s the doggone ever-lovin’ rush????
Perhaps it’s time for a new perspective for some of our friends with the go-go-go personalities? Eternity is immense, this lifetime the briefest wisp of vapor. Does it really make sense to live a rushed, hectic life, during our short time here? Let’s slow down, relax, and enjoy the life God gave us. We’ve got forever, after all...
86:12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
PS… There is one case I can think of when urgency is necessary…when repentance is needed!
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| To add a comment to "What’s the rush? Let’s take the long way…" |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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Well time is short and we have to do as much as possilbe! LOL That is for the type A personality.
I like the great theologians Simon and Garfunkle who said, "Slow down you're moving too fast, gotta make the morning last now, kicking down the cobblestone. Dootin doo doo feelin grovey." Slow down and enjoy the journey! Aaahhh I can almost relax right now LOL |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| Bro Todd, take a deep breathe now......relax.... Isn't this day the Lord has made beautiful? BTW, while you're at it, drive slower too!! (LOL) |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| Great message Mike. You mean I can't drive at over 100 mph? Dang cause I enjoy that (just joking). I agree with you that we do tend to get into a mentality where we focus onwhat we need to do more than we spend on thinking about eternal things. Living a face paced life can also have damaging consequences on the body as we were not created to "go, go, go" but to "be still and know He is God (Psalm 46:10). God created us to work hard but He also created us to take time to rest. What you said really relates to the issues of time mangement and living a balanced life for God. Blessings to you brother. |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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 what huh?
hurry??? are you kidding? |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| LOL BUBBLES!!! hahaha!!...hmmm..let me guess, friends call him Speed?...anyhoo..someone once told my friend to never be afraid to take the "Scenic Routes" of life...they knew he liked to rush about..try to get everything done...and yea!! i need to tell my sister again to drive sloooooooower!! lol speeding the way she does is against the law! haha |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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hahaha...I knew the comments on this one would be amusing! Charlie, pleeeeez tell her to slow down! Bubbles, atta girl! Dave, what a great comment, thanks for your observations! |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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Oh, the joys and peace we miss when we are in such a rush... I have gotten to the age where I am driving (at the speed limit) and everybody else seems to pass me by(quickly)LOL. That's alright, because I am wondering where in the world are they going so fast????? Surely not to work!!!
God has given us a very small amount of time to grow,have relationships, kids, mature and come home. WHY RUSH THRU IT????? We miss so much when everything goes by in a blur......
I think I will groove along with Brother Todd.... |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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hehe... ElmoNut, his name is Slugger!  |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| Sloooow Dooowwn...it has a nice ring to it.A nice relaxing ring....Good stuff Mike |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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You make some great points in this blog... Blessings, Len |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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Amen..some of us rush our whole life away. |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| LOL...I love to stop and smell the roses....I used to be right now....right now....right now....but tribulation has worked out patience in me...lol...lol...and now I just enjoy the ride...LOL |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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Oh KC, how tragic when that happens. So much to miss. Kids' birthdays and special events, opportunities to minister and love, God's subtle beauty, meaningful relationships, etc. Marjay, we're LOL together sister!! I've slowed down a lot myself as I've aged, and NOT just b/c I'm old! LOL I can identify w/you about patience worked out in me! Thanks Rev Len and Jimmie! |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| Mary....yeah, ppl drive so darned fast, I often wonder what's so important that ppl need to rush and risk lives on the road... |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| I laughed my head off at the question of how many times the Bible exhorts us to hurry up! That's a really funny thought! Of course, you are right with your p.s. - there is one thing we need to hurry to. Great questions posed here, Mike! |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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I remember a song a little bit of it after I got saved 26 years ago. The song had words like this. Stop And Smell The Roses
Mac Davis
(Davis/Severinsen)
Hey Mister
Where you going in such a hurry
Don't you think it's time you realized
There's a whole lot more to life than work and worry
The sweetest things in life are free
And there right before your eyes
You got to Stop and Smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday
You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't Stop and Smell the roses along the way
Before you went to work this morning in the city
Did you spent some time with your family
Did you kiss your wife and tell her that she's pretty
Did you take your children to your breast and love them tenderly
You got to Stop and Smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday
You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't Stop and Smell the roses along the way
Did you ever take a walk through the forest
Stop and dream a while among the trees
Well you can look up through the leaves right straight to heaven
You can almost hear the voice of God
In each any every breeze
You got to Stop and Smell the Roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday
You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't Stop and Smell the Roses along the way
You got to Stop and Smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday
You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't Stop and Smell the roses along the way. Very good post thank you!! Garry |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| Some days Mike, I just wish life would speed up, but for the most part I enjoy seeing the details and the small things that taking time, slowly allows me to see-my kids' smiles-the sunrise, feeling the breeze. |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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This is a good lesson Mike.
A few years ago, had I read this teaching, I would have laughed it off saying, "yeah, right". The old me, was also a type "A". Thank God I no longer fall into that category. Now I am type "C'. Christ-like, as least to the degree that I have renewed my mind.
Many wrong turns I have taken in my life. And one thing that becomes apparent as I look back, before I was able to make any of those wrongs maneuvers, I had to first slow down. In other words, the only way we can get off path, or turn another direction, is to first reduce the momentum of the original direction. You can't make a U-turn at 100 miles an hour.
This of course works in either direction. At one time I was going so fast along the broad highway, for me to come to a stop and make that much-needed U-turn, seemed virtually impossible. Fortunately, I crashed and spent a few months in the body shop. But praise God when my "brand-new" set of wheels got back on the road I had within me a set of driving directions that routed me along roads less traveled.
And so, now that I am on the right path, I intend to keep up momentum. Maybe not at a fast pace in the physical realm, but at least straight and steady. As far as my pursuit of the spiritual world, I have all intentions of accelerating to full-speed!
We cannot make a U-turn at 100 miles an hour! And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Good blog!
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| Mike when the kids were young we went to stay on a farm for a while out in the country! when we came home we realised how fast people were living, it was like looking at swarming wasps! i long for that "peacefull easy feeling" (stole the Eagles from carols blog Ha Ha) you are right Bro this life is but a vapour! Amen |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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As I drive along at my granny speed I am passed by many impatient drivers only to meet them at the stop light...lol I intend to enjoy the life God has given me...thanks Mike...great insights as usual! |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| This is something I've been trying to do in my new life. It's been rewarding. |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| Amen, Mike I agree with you 100%, God bless. |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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Bren, lol! I've experienced the same thing!!
Loren, I agree, it IS rewarding!
Stu, nothin like the pace of life in the countryside.
Starr, those are some wonderful blessings.
Garry, love the words to that song!
Carol, yes I too found the humor in this one. I also laughed as I told ______ that ______ needs to accept those who take life at a slower pace w/o judging them. :-)
Michael, dude I am so glad you've learned to take it slower.....and Christlike! Otherwise we would have missed out on some serious blessings.
Marilyn, thanks so much! |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| I am going to have to try that and try to take things slower. |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| I Love the scenic route! Great blog! |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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Let’s slow down, relax, and enjoy the life God gave us. We’ve got forever, after all...
This is a very nice post. I'm going to stop Rushing God and Myself, Go through my Process of Life.
Slow down and Smell the Coffee or The Flowers, which ever is on my Path of Life...... AMAZING
AMEN
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| November 14, 2008 |
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| Maybe this is because I'm at a missions conference this week but the one thing Christ did command us to do was GO and teach...I don't think He wanted us to be lazy or slow about it either...GO and make fishers of men...to me that is pretty much an in your face right now command...He did tell us to GO when it came to the great commission....we may have forever as Christians but do others? Now that thought is sobering to me to say the least... |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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Slowing down and relaxing is something that I have not learned to do until recently. It's such a rush-rush society and we get caught up in going absolutely nowhere. I call it spinning on the hamster wheel. |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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Donna, when you take a step back, doesn't the "spinning on the hamster wheel" thing seem silly? When we look at our lives from God's perspective, doesn't it all seem so distracting and pointless? Amen, thanks for the post!
Lori, I agree. We just need to be careful we aren't taking over ourselves and pushing the Lord aside. But you're exactly right, the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few.
Terry, that's what I'm talkin about.....appreciation!
Cella Jean, man oh man are you perceptive!!! I gotta be careful what I share around you! lol
Tim, that's an awesome quote. Yep, we're definitely not advocating laziness here!
Megan and Angela, thanks so much! Hope you find relaxation and refreshment in the Lord!! |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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It really does seem silly Mike and when you jump off the hamster wheel you find that everything that needs to get done does without the struggle. Without all the distractions that filled my time, I have found my relationship with Him has strengthened. I take the time to hear Him and know His will which was never clear until I cleared out the clutter. |
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| November 14, 2008 |
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God sure doesn't seem to be in any hurry with me.. to bring me to the fulfilment of his plans.
A little chiseling here, and a little chiselin there, taking His merry & merciful time. |
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| November 15, 2008 |
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| I have always been a fast paced kind of gal...I hate delays. lol I guess I feel like my time is so limited here on earth that I want to get as much accomplished as I can! I have, however, started to slow down just a little, probably more because I can't move as fast as I used to when I was younger :) One thing is for sure, God has given me patience lessons continually throughout my life, so I have a feeling He is saying "slow down". |
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| November 15, 2008 |
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MichaelATL43--Thank you for sharing about Type C personality-- Christlike--And we have the CIA watching over us--Christ Inumberable Angels. That was cool. Thanks Garry |
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| November 15, 2008 |
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| All too true! We rush through everything, I'm terrible in that aspect, always in a hurry, and for what? I'm learning, however slowly, to slow down and enjoy the moment!! |
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| November 15, 2008 |
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USA is in a RUSH to go no where. ;-)
In Thailand I see people doing the total opposite, it is amazing and it messes me totally up!!
God is so relaxed, we want to do so much, HE just says do nothing but KNOW Me- amen.
I am a missionary in Thailand and I have found out my #1 purpose is to KNOW God here.
Love in His PASSION, Doc. ;-) |
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| November 15, 2008 |
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I'm hearing a refrain....slow down and appreciate, savor life! Thanks Deb & Shirley! Denise, the Potter, er...in this case Sculptor, crafts his masterpiece very slooowwwwwwleeeey... :-) Garry, CIA.....LOL! DocT, wow, maybe we really need to find a happy medium? Think I'd still prefer the slower end of the scale. :-) |
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| November 16, 2008 |
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D'oh! And here I rushed to read this blog. *sigh* You know I just was watching my daughter. And she runs everywhere, until we put on her winter boots and then she tromps. And she does it with excitement. I mention this because I have to say I don't think there's anything wrong with that, so I'm trying to figure out how to reconcile that with what is said here. :) |
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| November 16, 2008 |
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| lol ... I'd give up trying. Some kids are go-go-go, but others slooowwww. (2 of mine) Hey, nothing wrong w/high energy play! |
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| November 16, 2008 |
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| Actually I'm talking about my one and a half year old. She hears a (new) noise and off she goes. She sees a friend, there go those fast motion feet again. |
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| November 18, 2008 |
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Further photographic evidence 
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| November 18, 2008 |
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| Looks like someone's in a hurry! |
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| March 23, 2009 |
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| Great blog posting. It was a awesome blessing to me. Keep up the wonderful work. |
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