Discover These Gifts by Slowing Down in Life
I asked Caleb what he wanted to do for his third birthday, and he wanted hot dogs and marshmallows for breakfast and a trip to the sandy beach. He settled for powdered doughnuts for breakfast, but I came through on the trip to the sandy beach. Slowing down in life, for even a day, felt like its own kind of gift.
The sandy beach is the name the kids have affectionately labeled a stretch of sandy shoreline along the creek behind our house.
We’ve been known to catch bluegills and crayfish in the shallow part of the pool, and surrounded by wilderness, the sandy beach feels like an escape to a different world.
Slowing Down in Life
The day of celebration dawns clear and cool.
I leave the calendar wide open and free of plans, and so our walk to the sandy beach is slow and filled with frequent stops.
We stop to rescue a caterpillar from the middle of the dangerous road.
We pick goldenrod and ironweed and Joe-pye weed for a late summer bouquet.
I gather a handful of green acorns for him to throw off the bridge when we reach the creek.
Slowing down in life creates space for connection.
When we finally make it to the bottom of the hill and past the red barn, we notice that we’re not alone at the creek.
Our neighbors made the half-mile trek to the creek as well. The boys’ grandpa doesn’t get around as well as he used to. Today, he drove the scooter down the road with his grandsons close at hand.
The boys are quick to tell us that they didn’t catch any fish today.
Even worse, the fishing pole broke, and an essential part of the reel is submerged in the clear water just below the bridge. We gaze down from above, and the lost part sparkles from the depths of the clear water.
“Go get it, Mama!” Caleb commands, and I know he’s onto something.
Slowing down creates space for blessing others.
It wasn’t safe for the boys to head into the water on their own, but this is a task we can handle.
Grandpa laughs and tells me it’s not necessary, but the pleading gaze of the little boy who is like a second son to our family captures my heart. I don’t need to think twice.
And this is how I find myself wading across Wolf Creek on a sixty-degree morning in search of a piece of fishing reel.
The boys take off their shoes and stand in the mud along the creek, and I manage to wade into the thigh-deep water, reach the bottom, and secure the treasure. There are cheers and hugs.
An hour later, sitting along the bank of the sandy beach with Caleb, I consider all the times I’ve missed opportunities to bless others because I’m in too big of a hurry.
My to-do list daily threatens to rule my life and dominate my decisions, but this is never God’s best.
God’s best usually takes place when I practice the discipline of slowing down to create margin time in my days. (To read insight on how to create space to breathe deeply, laugh deeply, and love deeply, join me here.)
God's best for my life usually takes place when I practice the discipline of slowing down to create margin time in my days - when I create space to live a fully present kind of life. #livingpresent #slowdown #encounteringGod Share on XSlowing down creates space to notice God’s hand in our lives.
God’s best is a life without hurry. It’s a life that leaves margin time between activities.
Save time to pick goldenrod, rescue caterpillars, and show kindness to neighbors.
Surely, there are seasons when margins are narrower, but when there’s a choice – and there’s often a choice – wide margins hold the power to bless.
When there’s a choice, I decide to choose the wide margins and live with eyes wide open for what God is doing in my midst.
A Free Devotional Book to Help You Slow Down:
Would you like less stress and deeper peace in life? My gift to you today is my free online devotional Unrushed: Slow Your Pace and Embrace the Fully-Present Life. This is a powerful journey into a life that is more present and more fully lived. Click here, and I’ll send this free online devotional to your email inbox!
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Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.
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