I promised myself I’d never say this but here I am – about to say it.  This is the official sign that I am no longer young and have turned into my parents.  Ready?  Ok… here goes…

WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true: time really does fly.  You get married, have kids, and before you know it, they’re off to college and you’re stuck with the bill.  I am not quite at that point yet, but I am at the point of realizing that the pace of life continues to get faster and faster, and our ability to keep up with it becomes less and less with each passing day.  Life seems to speed by so fast that we often don’t know what hit us.

I remember back to a time when I was driving out to an area about 3 hours away to visit someone in prison.  This was back before the days of GPS so I had to do it the old school way – with MapQuest!  You youngsters out there below the age of 21 probably haven’t even heard of MapQuest have you?

SIDE NOTE:  For those old people like myself, do you remember MapQuest?  When it first came out, it was like God’s gift to mankind – a computer program that knows where and when I should turn.  It was the greatest invention ever.  But now that we’ve gotten used to our GPS, using MapQuest feels like using a compass to fly a plane! 

Anyways, back to my story…

I thought I was following the directions just fine, but the trip was taking a lot longer than it should have.  Eventually I realized the reason that the trip was taking so long was because I had missed a turn. And I missed it because I was just going too fast.  Driving fast made me miss my turn.

Don’t miss the irony of that point:  the end result of driving fast was that it took me longer to get there!

I think a lot of us are on that same path in life.  Some of us are moving too quickly for our own good.  The result?  Frustration, stress, and in the end, less productive.  So for all of the speedsters out there in life, let me urge you to SLOW DOWN.  Slow down so you don’t miss the right turn in life.

Psalm 46:10 says it best:  “Be still and know that I am God.”

As the summer approaches, let me urge you to slow down and take your time.  Make sure that your next turn is the correct one.  When was the last time you slowed down to spend some time with God?  When was the last time that slowed down to enjoy a nice day with your kids?  Society fools us into thinking that the faster you move, the more you get done.  But I have learned the exact opposite.

Those who accomplish the most in life - and the most significant accomplishments - are not those who run the fastest, but it's those who run the most deliberately and intentionally and under control.

Discussion:  In what ways do you need to slow down?  How can you remind yourself to do so?