“You are on the fastest route”
My GPS tells me this with frequent regularity as I travel to and from errands and appointments. It is meant to be a re-assuring statement. In our world of frenzied on-the-go action, to be on the fastest route is a comforting fact. It feels like there is so much that already slows me down when I am not expecting it that I often have a hard time of intentionally slowing down on my own. Why would I take a route that is less efficient than the fastest one? I like to feel accomplished and productive by the time I return on the homeward route!
The odd thing is that I don’t feel this though… I don’t feel relief or peace of mind on my homeward journey – the hurry and rush of the day has found its way deeper into my heart than I realized. Speed no longer is the goal. The habit of hurry has only left me feeling stretched and stressed. I begin to wonder whether it is my life’s schedule that needs to be re-arranged or that it is my cluttered thoughts that need to be put into order. I ponder what needs to be changed or simplified so that I am no longer on the fastest route, but the best path for flourishing life. The one that will shape me and mold me. Often when I heard the word “simplify” I thought of what I owned or controlled – but what I didn’t realize is that to truly simplify is to surrender my need for control over my time and my life.
When I am not running my own agenda, I can relax behind the wheel and trust that my times are in His hands. This posture of trust is natural for me though. It takes practice. Every day, I am tempted to take back the wheel so to speak and set my own destination. The battle to simplify is a daily one. As C.S. Lewis once said, “Life has to be taken day by day and hour by hour… Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.”
So, if you find yourself in a rush today, take a moment to slow down and remember to practice the posture of trust. To truly simplify and move toward life’s true destination is to look up and put your hand in His. It is there that we are reminded that it is not the route that is important as much as it is who travels the road with us.
Heartbeat of Time 