It’s refreshing to live in a neighborhood with small children. Invariably, sometime around June lemonade stands emerge to serve thirsty adults and children on hot days. If you’re like me however, as a busy adult, I have no time for kids’ lemonade.
As I drive by, I usually mumble, “I’m too busy for that”.
And then there are the twins…two of the sweet children that live near us – Madison and Amanda. Both have beautiful smiles, are energetic and wave excitedly at me across our side yard.
In their child-like innocence they often run over to me to say hi, correctly assuming that it’s all better up close. Madison, in particular, likes to hug. Overcome by her act of affection, I usually blurt out, “I love you sweetie” and she responds quickly with “I love you Mr. Bill”.
But I’m too busy for this, right?
Really? I’m that busy?
I can’t stop for, say, 30 seconds to say hi to two really sweet kids.
The Unhurried Life
A friend recently shared a devotional with me that spoke of Jesus’ ministry as being un-busy….sort of meandering. Jesus tended to stop here and there on his way to here and there as He went about doing what the Father asked Him to do. He seemed to purposefully stop from time to time to allow the (seeming) interruptions to unfold in front of him….and it seemed His ultimate intent was serving and loving others. He seemed to take things at an easy pace, no matter where He was.
But, we’re too busy for that kind of life, right?
In Psalms, and elsewhere in the Bible, there is a word that is often placed at the end of a verse- the word is Selah. I’ve seen it for years, but never knew what it meant. According to my Amplified Bible, the word means “pause and think calmly about that”.
This word encourages us to pause and contemplate God’s message, His principles, or His main point in the Scripture. To pause and think calmly. But, it’s hard to do that when we’re self-abosorbed in our own goals, to-do lists and plans all the time. We are often too busy to pause, and as a result, we lose out.
Pausing seems to have a relaxing effect on my nerves, seems to bring about a calmness in me…making me more aware of what’s happening around me of value. There’s a huge external benefit to pausing as well…pausing seems to open a small window in which to serve and love others as Jesus would have.
Will you join me today in welcoming some interruptions, taking a few minutes to say hi to a neighbor….to pause to really see those around you, to stop and really listen, to walk slowly, to allow the Word of God to really sink in during your quiet time….and perhaps to buy some lemonade from a sweet little kid down the street?
And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. – Ecclesiastes 4:4-6
