Tonight one of these friends elaborated on this topic and shared that this week, as she sat at a coffee shop with her baby (the first time in a LONG time), she felt like God said, "stop trying to be so busy. Slow down so you have more time to respond to what I am doing around you." One of the things that happened to her this week is that she was driving, and saw an older man fall down in the street face-down. She was the only one around and stopped to help him. As a crowd gathered and 911 was called, she began to pray for him out loud. He was unconscious but came to and was taken to the hospital. That was one moment in her day where she didn't have something planned - and she usually always has something planned. She recognized that there are opportunities like that all around us, but many times we are too busy to notice or be able to do anything about them.
It reminded me of my experience a few weeks ago, when I was driving alone and witnessed a girl have a seizure. She was in a parking lot that I was in, and during the seizure, fell backwards hard onto the pavement. I stopped the car and ran over, to find that I was the first on the scene. After calling 911, I knelt by her side and started talking to her, and she said that she was a pastor's daughter. I said, "how funny, I'm married to a pastor!" I asked if I could pray for her and she said, "Yes, Please!" As she was taken away in the ambulance, I thought, "was that just a coincidence?" No, I don't think it was. But it was a moment in time where I didn't have something else going on, and I had the time to respond. Normally I would have been running late somewhere and unable to notice, let alone stop.
As my life is slowing down in this season, I am reminded that it is okay to not have to fill every moment. You know why we fill every moment? Because sitting is uncomfortable. Being quiet is uncomfortable. Being still in uncomfortable. And in those moments we often have to face things that are buried deep inside. But the Fall season of waiting, of being still, of resting, is a healing season. Instead of trying to escape this season, embrace it. God wants to open your eyes to new things along the way.
Thank you...thank you...thank you for this post! I have been feeling a little "blue" lately. I know it has a lot to do with feeling nauseated all day long, but it is definitely a season of slowing down for me. Thank you for the reminder to enjoy it and allow God to do what He wants to do through this time. I've been thinking about you so much! I hope you are feeling better!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that our culture needs to slow down. We are all to busy and this fall I made it a point to cut a few activities out of my schedule too. Been feeling like God is wanting my family and I to slow down as well. :) Thanks so much for linking up with me today at Good Morning Girls! :)
ReplyDeleteThis article was extremely interesting.
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