Slow Down

Someone’s advice to me yesterday, as I rambled about the things that stress me out was to just slow down. Those two words keep resounding in my mind…slow down…slow down…

It sounds simple, right? Putting such an advice to practice, however, is turning out to be a seemingly unsurmountable challenge for me. Call it my personality, my temperament, my tendencies, my defective sense of perspective, my maladjusted development, or a combination of all of them, but something seriously gets on the way of my efforts to relax…to slow down.

If I'm honest with myself, deep down, the core of my issues is my inability to fully trust and rely on God. I get too focused on the things of this world and believe the lie that I can fix it or handle it all by my own might.  I'm filled with pride.  Then, when I inevitably find out that I simply cannot…I freak out, but instead of letting go, I redouble my fruitless efforts, which only intensifies my frustration, my stress and my anxiety! Thus the constant running around, which makes the recommendation to slow down sound laughable.

I’m exhausted…

The truth is, I must slow down. I think one way to help me accomplish this is a transformation of my state of mind. I need to be intentional about remembering that this is not my home. Like my devotional said the other day: “Remember that you are en route to heaven, and let your problems fade in the Light of eternity.” I need the Holy Spirit to keep me aware of this truth always. And when I forget, I need to dial a quick 911 back to Him to remind me and shower me with His peace…

Sigh…

This Advent season it is my desire to take a look at Christ’s Birth in light of His second coming as a clear reminder that we are, indeed, just en route to our forever home, so we can confidently say: “take this world and give me Jesus, this is not where I belong.”

I pray that the thoughts of Our Lord’s second Advent will keep me grounded in His promises and in His love to allow me to TRUST Him, let go of my worries and finally be able to slow down in His presence.