Slowing down

I downshifted into second gear while maneuvering my ’93 Accord through a crowded parking lot. 10:33 am, the dashboard clock read—and I am late for my interview! With the AC on its way out and August on its way in, I could feel my already overactive armpits sweating like the unopened can wedged between the car seat and the emergency break. Staring at the gleaming green container as I shut the car door, I realized that I forgot to drink the potion (meant for energy and mental sharpening) that had stalled me at the gas station and brought on this tempestuous tardiness.

At any rate, I was 6 minutes late by the time I opened the mirrored office door, noticing as I entered, enormous sweat stains localized like targets under each of my arms. I held the door for a moment or two, pondering whether or not to just turn around and go home. I didn’t. I didn’t get the job either, but after experiencing many such stress-filled days, when the earth and sky and… well, the traffic lights appeared to be conspiring against me, I have learned a thing or two about better living.

Number one: Slow down. I know this advice is counter-intuitive when you’re running late for work, church or an important engagement, but life is too short to be rushing around, here and there, like a man on the run, ever chasing or fleeing something that can never quite be caught or eluded.

Listen to the words of the Psalmist:
“Oh LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; Let me know how fleeting I am…Surely man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil” (Ps 39:4,6a).

Life is short, and the sooner we come to understand this, the sooner our “turmoil” will cease. After all, much for which we toil isn’t all that important in the grand scope of things. Think of those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness or who have had near death experiences—suddenly their priorities change, and that for which they had been striving, and about which they had been stressing suddenly pales in comparison to the simpler, more important things of life like faith, family, and friends. But even the value of our faith and the quality of our relationships are diminished when we don’t slow down enough to enjoy them.

As we traveled to church one Sunday morning my wife and I quibbled over who was responsible for our late start. The truth is that we are both chronically tardy, and we both, probably, contributed equally to our predicament. But as I pulled up to red light after red light, I could feel my blood pressure rise and my heart rate increase—this Sunday, which was designed as a day of rest, was fast becoming a time of tension. By the time we made it to church I was angry and in no mood to “offer sacrifices of praise.” This scenario has repeated itself more often than I’d like to admit. I’ve finally resigned myself to stop trying to beat the clock on Sunday morning. The chase isn’t worth it, because even if we make it on time, I lose the more important race that revolves around relationships.

This brings us to the second lesson for better living: enjoy life. I’m not advocating hedonism here, but I am suggesting that after we consider our “fleeting” nature and determine who and what are important in life, then we should rearrange our schedules, push things off our plates, and take the time to enjoy the true blessings that God has given us.

So, when you bomb a presentation, miss out on a promotion, or arrive conspicuously late to an interview (with sweat stains and all), try to keep it all in perspective. These are the fleeting details of life that must play second fiddle to the main show—a loving relationship with our Lord and loved ones. So, slow down… would ya?