Too often I ramble this phrase as a fleeting, un-felt affirmation. Not to say that I do not know or believe this, but I've become so used to my commonly-used phrases, "ILoveYou," squeezed in at the end of a phone conversation, "Such a blessing!" about anything and everything, "I'll pray for you," (and forgetting to add it to your list) etc. So many things that I am quick to offer up, but very few that I consider fully in the moment.
At church, lately, our pastor has been talking about how hurry is an obstacle for those following the Christian faith. Man, that struck me. Hurry. An obstacle. A solution is an obstacle. Yes. As a mother of 17-month-old triplets, I UNDERSTAND hurry. No matter HOW early we begin getting ready to leave, we ALWAYS leave at least 15 minutes later than we plan to. So how is hurry an obstacle when it is necessary? Not only is it NOT a reflection of Christ, but it is a hindrance to the very nature of Christ. In the past, my pastor has challenged our congregation to pay attention to ourselves for the day--to watch ourselves talk in the mirror and to observe how others might receive us. Do we make eye contact with others? Do we walk by them openly that they would feel welcomed to interaction, or do we hurry by, absentmindedly, in an unapproachable haze that shuts out the "noise"?
Hurrying shuts down our openness to God's timing. God's timing is not dependent on my available time-slots. When I hurry through life, I am not open to all of the things that God could have for me. And, you know, the more that I think about that sermon, the more I realize how inclined to hurry I have become--not because I need to, but because it has become the pace of my mind-set. "Hurry! We have to be..." "Hurry, we don't..." "Hurry! Let's..." "Hurry, we need the..."
Stop. Breathe. Smell. Taste. Feel. Experience. Be.
Tell your loved ones DURING your phone call that you love them and why.
Count your blessings every day and mean it, don't just hash-tag it.
Pray right then and there for the person that you are loving on. Don't be shy!
Mostly, know that God is GOOD all the time.
Good seems like such a simple word to describe so many, MANY things. The reason why--because that is the only word that I can think of with my little, human, brain to describe something so vast, so before, so after, so much. I don't know everything to say, I don't know anything to say. All I know is that it is good.
Always I will remember this, because He is good to me. He is good to me, as I am, undeserving of His goodness and grace.
