Let’s start off this morning with a simple quiz, okay? Five questions answered by a show of hands:
1. Do you always seem to be in a hurry?
At the end of your day, do you often find that your "To do" list isn’t done? (If you don’t make lists, are you often frustrated by not getting anything done?)
2. Has anyone ever told you to slow down?
3. Do you feel guilty when you relax? (Do you know what “relax” is?)
4. Have you ever found yourself scheduled to be in more than one place at a time?
Was anybody in here surprised at the number of hands that went up for each of these questions?
Take a moment and talk with each other about how many of these you answered yes to and why
[Allow time for discussion]
It is amazing how busy we find ourselves to be today, doesn’t it?
Here is a bit of trivia I found to be rather interesting the other day; back in 1994, the Gallup Research Group conducted a poll and found that 72% of the people believe that over the next few years, they would be working less because of the growing technological advances. Here we are about 17 years later and the opposite is true. Most Americans are working an average of 25% more and spend about 10 hours less each month in leisure activities.
Why is that? Can anyone give me a reason?
[Allow responses]
(Possible response may include: pressure to excel, pressure to keep up, anxiety over job, need more income, love to work, unavoidable circumstances,…)
Sometimes, the circumstances warrant us to work harder and longer and sometimes we choose to do so voluntarily. Actually, if we get down to it, it is probably a mixture of both.
Take me for instance; the last few weeks have been crazy. Now, some of the hectic pace I experience was beyond my control, but some of it I brought on myself.
Last week, I was finishing up the last phase of my doctoral project. During that time, my mentors informed me that I have less than two weeks to get my project together in perfection. Some of my classmates who are behind me have started sending me their papers to look over and edit. Then each day, I spent time going to several different session learning new methodologies of how to do ministry and administration. Add to this, I still was trying to settle my father’s final affairs. Then, on top of all of this, our Admin. Asst. Karen sent me this lovely email reminding me that I still needed to get the worship plans turned into her and the worship team.
The only time I had to start working on my message for today was on the plane ride back home, where I was seated beside an atheist who was quite unhappy to be sitting beside a pastor who had the audacity to be reading the Bible.
It was quite ironic that while going through all of this, I remembered the topic for today – Slow Down
I remember distinctly saying, “God you have got to be kidding me. Is this some kind of sick joke?”
But as I sat there for a moment, speeding across the sky at 500mph, I breathed in and closed my eyes in prayer. I continued this prayer, “Slow down? What can I say to help people slow down when I can’t even do it?”
Then, out of the blue, this scripture came to mind:
Psalm 46:10
Be still and know that I am God.
Yeah, be still. Be still and know God is God and I am not. There world does not depend on me to turn. I can slow down; I can relax for a moment.
After spending the rest of that flight just relaxing, it started to come to me some ways to just slow down.
Ways to Slow Down
1. Value stillness – We aren’t always very comfortable with this. Our culture tells us we have to be doing something to be of any value to society. But God says, “Be still.”
2. Consider the reason for your ‘busyness’ – Are you busy because you have no control over your life or is it because you don’t say ‘no’ often enough? Everything that demands your attention isn’t always important.
3. Be real – You’re human. The human body has to have rest. Most experts will say that we need on average eight hours of sleep, but do we get it? What is your average? [Allow responses]
4. Follow Jesus’ example – Jesus understood the value of being still and getting away from all kinds of distractions. Take for an instance when Jesus was out preaching and healing one day and heard that John the Baptist had been executed. This is what happened:
Matt. 14:13, 22–23
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
Jesus understood the value of ‘Me Time.’
5. Take a break. – Folks, let’s not put ourselves any higher on our self-erected pedestal than necessary. We can take a break, get away, get some ‘Me Time’ in and more importantly, get some time in reconnecting with God.
Let’s remember our Theme Scripture for this series:
John 10:10
My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
Let’s become intentional about slowing down so we can live the Life Worth Living.
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