Just Slow Down

Why are we in such a hurry? Tomorrow isn’t going anywhere. We risk getting a speeding ticket just to arrive five minutes sooner. If our schedule is so tight that we can’t spare five extra minutes, perhaps we’ve made some poor decisions about what deserves our time.

There is a fine line between taking it easy…and loafing…I lean toward the loaf. I was not bred to be a race car. I’m more like an old, beat-up truck that runs best in third gear. If you push it too hard, something might break. I’m not taking any chances. This fine piece of machinery wasn’t built for racing.  

We rush our meals. The chicken’s dead…it isn’t going anywhere…take your time. Some people eat with such speed that it makes you wonder if they have warrants out. Slow down! Do you know that if you slow down when you eat, some of those things on your plate actually have a taste? 

I’m coming full circle with reading. As a first grader, I slowly learned to read. When I read aloud, I spoke slowly. Somewhere along the way, we started believing that reading faster meant we were smarter. Over the last few years, I’ve been consciously trying to read more slowly. It’s amazing what it has done for my retention. 

I’m going back and reading all of William Faulkner’s books…you have to read them slowly. It’s funny, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, but whoever I’m reading…I hear the author’s voice in my head. Reading As I Lay Dying, I hear Faulkner in my head…and when I stop reading, I have to turn him off before I start talking to people in the voice of a Confederate general.

We read the Bible too fast. Again…what’s the rush? It’s the greatest book ever written…enjoy it. Let it sink in. 

As a pastor, people will sometimes ask me, “How much of the Bible should I read each day?” My standard answer is, “Read until God stops you.” Read with an attitude of expectation…desiring to hear from God. And when He speaks…stop and let it sink in. 

You cannot do that by speed-reading the Bible. 

Each year I set Bible reading goals. Some years I read through the entire Bible. Some years I focus only on the New Testament. Regardless of how much you read…make sure you are reading slowly enough for God’s Word to settle into your heart and mind. 

Psalm 46:10 reads, “Be still and know that I am God.” 

Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do isn’t speed up. It’s to slow down long enough to notice that God has been there all along. 

Until the next page…

Scott Sullivan

The Notebook