Noticing when it's time to slow down

Tom Crenshaw July 28, 2023

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Adobe Stock

This morning I woke up, stared at my calendar, and realized I had missed an important phone call yesterday. I had spent yesterday morning looking for my phone which I finally found that afternoon.

Just two days prior, I sat in a restaurant waiting for a friend of mine who I had schedule to meet for breakfast, only to discover that I had missed his email informing me that he had rescheduled our breakfast for Friday, a day in which I already had two other breakfast meetings scheduled. Who's to blame for these oversights? No one but me.

I came home yesterday, lay down on my bed and admitted that I was just too busy and needed to slow down.

I went to my file cabinet to find some help, the "Slow Down" section, and I found an article I had previously saved. It was dated Dec 9, 2005. Although it had been filed away for over 15 ears, I just now found the time to read it again. I thought it worth sharing with others, who like me, might be struggling with "slow down sickness."

No Scripture, but some spiritual truth we all need to hear, for sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to simply slow down, recalibrate our schedule, and take some time to rest and read, "Slow Dance."

Have you ever watched kids on a merry go round?

Or listen to the rain slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight? Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down. Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask how are you, do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next 100 chores running through your head?

You better slow down. Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last.

Ever told your child we'll do it tomorrow? And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die, 'cause' you never had time to call and say hi?

You better slow down. Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere, you miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day, it's like an unopened gift that's thrown away.

Life is not a race. Do take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

Enough said.

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Tom Crenshaw serves as Connections Pastor of the New Monmouth Baptist Church (non denominational) where he previously served as a three year interim.He has been married to Jean for almost 50 years, and they have four children, all of whom are teachers.Tom loves perennial gardening, umpiring high school baseball, coaching baseball and football, fishing for small mouth bass, rooting for his favorite team, the Cleveland Indians, and listening to ‘real’ country music, the classic kind. Learn More »

• Three ways to create a sense of urgency when you communicate (by Carey Nieuwhof)
• Check off these 5 things to address conflict graciously (by Jordan Raynor)
• Self-leadership: the foundational skill every leader needs to build a thriving culture (by Jenni Catron)
• Walking in swing (by Christopher Beth)

Free eBook

Steps to Launching Your Personal Workplace Ministry

Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.

Download Now