Life Abroad @ Valor ~ Hurry Up or Slow Down?

 

What is your pace of life? Do you find yourself always in a hurry? Do the pressures and demands of the immediate call you to urgency?  How's that working out?  How's your physical health?  How's your mental health?  And, above all, how's your spiritual health.  Now, I readily agree with brother Bonhoeffer when he says:

Just as the Christian should not be constantly feeling his spiritual pulse, so, too, the Christian community has not been given to us by God for us to be constantly taking its temperature. The more thankfully we daily receive what is given to us, the more surely and steadily will fellowship increase and grow from day to day as God pleases.

While it is true that we do not have to be constantly taking our "spiritual temperature," we would though do well, as I am learning once again through my life abroad, to acknowledge that the general pace of our life says a great deal about the depth of our life.  The more we feel that we are running, hurrying, racing through life, the more we are missing out on life's depth.

Did you see the sunrise today?  While I was walking down from my campus apartment to meet students who were joining me and two colleagues for our regular Wednesday morning redirection hike up the mountaini, I was struck by the view.  That's it above.  Valor is set up on the moutainside.  Our campus looks out to the east toward the moring sunrise.

That view caused me to stop and ponder.  An old hymn came to mind.  "When morning gilds the skies, my heart awaking cries, 'May Jesus Christ be praised!'"  I find myself ever in need of slowing down.  In the past four weeks, I have deliberately tried to remind myself daily of three things:  "Slow down! Look up! and Go deeper!"  It is only by truly slowing down the pace of our lives that we can ever hope to go deeper into the experience and awareness of Christ's embracing presence.

There is one person, though, that the Scriptures call upon to Hurry Up!  Do you know who it is?  The pslamist tells us:

Make haste, O God, to deliver me! 

O LORD, make haste to help me! 

(Psalm 70:1)

Four more times in the Psalms the cry is heard:  Make haste to help me!  (Psalm 38:22; 40:13; 69:17; 71:12) Our Father does not mind being asked to hurry up!  We need His constant help and support!  Indeed, when we know that God makes haste to help us, we can then slow down, look up, and go deeper.  

So, pause to ponder the pace of your life.  Are you living a shallow life or are you reaching down to its depths?

There is a longing
Only You can fill
A raging tempest
Only You can still
My soul is thirsty, Lord
To know You as I'm known
Drink from the river
That flows before Your throne
Take me deeper
Deeper in love with You
Jesus, hold me close in Your embrace
Take me deeper
Deeper than I've ever been before
I just want to love You more and more
How I long to be deeper in love
Sunrise to sunrise
I will seek Your face
Drawn by the Spirit
To the promise of Your grace
My heart has found in You
A hope that will abide
Here in Your presence
Forever satisfied
Take me deeper
Deeper in love with You
Jesus, hold me close in Your embrace
Take me deeper
Deeper than I've ever been before
I just want to love You more and more
How I long to be deeper in love
How I long to be deeper in love

Don Moen 

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