We’ve been listening to Pastor Bobby Schuller of Hour of Power most Sunday afternoons and he has a creed he recites with his church every week. One of the statements they repeat is “I don’t have to hurry, I don’t have to worry”.
I have been repeating those words because they are good for me. The creed goes on to say that our friend Jesus is with us, helping us on the journey.
“I don’t have to hurry, I don’t have to worry” are good words for slowing the steps, for slowing the heart, for taking deep breaths, for paying attention.
Last night I was doing some calendar planning. September can come upon us like a moving train with all sorts of start-ups and programs. For years I have felt like I need a holiday after September, there is so much to do, from harvest to meetings, and everything in between.
And I think, how can I do this better?
Deliberately slowing down is a start. Sometimes I have to break this down, do I take time in between tasks to have that cup of tea, to be still?
Planning ahead has also made such a difference in a full life.
As I look at my September calendar I can have that conversation with God… where do I take time to rest? What do I need to prepare for so I am ready? Do I have spaces in my life so when the unexpected comes I am not exhausted?
These are the questions I ask myself, and wrestle with at times.
And I think of my Heavenly Father, our Creator who is NOT in a hurry. I see that in the garden, where there is growth, but we cannot see it.
Sometimes we want to rush God a bit… it is hard when we are in a waiting place and want to see results. There was one prayer request I prayed that God took twenty five years to answer… and I despaired at times.
“In His time” is a song we sing… and it is true. God makes all things beautiful in His time. If we rush it, like helping a rose to bloom before it is ready, we spoil the beauty.
There is surrender in that… and peace. We can relax, knowing that life will enfold as it should, that we can trust God with our very lives. “I don’t have to hurry, I don’t have to worry”, words I am humming these days… because we can trust our Creator who sees the bigger picture!
