I have been going through the book I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt by Vince Antonucci with my young adults’ class. We didn’t meet this week because of weather but last week we covered a chapter that focused on slowing down. The short version is many of us live life at 100 mph when God is moving at 3 mph. This is a reference to our habit of having our goals and tasks and completing them while missing all the people we could be interacting in as we accomplish our goals.
Vince uses some really great examples from his life, but I want to share one of mine. Monday was my wife’s birthday but I had some important tasks I had to finish. I took my kids to school in the morning and pushed to get everything done by noon so I could take my wife out for lunch and spend the rest of the day with her. I accomplished my goal but I really failed.
One of my tasks was to call the ministers in my section and remind them of the meeting we had Tuesday. I waited till I finished my other tasks because I didn’t want to call too early in the morning so I was running close on my planned end of the day when I reached a minister who sounded old and tired. His voice was raspy as he answered the phone and I politely verified who he was and informed him who I was and why I was calling. He told me that he likely wouldn’t come but if he could make it he would let me know. I gave him my number and he had trouble with reading it back. I patiently corrected him until he had it right. I was feeling good about not getting frustrated at having to repeat myself so many times as he apologized. He mentioned he couldn’t see very well since he had cancer and I graciously let him know that it was no problem as I wished him a good day. I was listening to the phone ring for the next person on my list when it occurred to me that I was running at 100 mph and the 3 mph God was wanting me to interact with this pastor.
I don’t know who the man is. I have never met him but I made a note to call him back. I did as soon as I finished the list, but didn’t reach him. Tuesday I was busy all day so I haven’t called back yet. I want to call him and talk to him. I don’t want to just check off my “I did the right thing” list. I want to really follow God as He leads. It goes against my personality but I think it is what God is calling me to.
Do you go through life so fast you miss the relationships God wants to build? How can we change?
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Had a similar situation about a year ago. I was at the hospital to visit a church member, but struck up a conversation with a woman in the waiting room. She had been waiting on husband for 3 weeks. We chatted for a few minutes, and it was time for me to go. But something pulled at me, and a few days later, I went back to the hospital. Maybe my church member was still there, but I didn't call to verify. I was there to see if the woman in the waiting room was still there. She was, and we talked much more liesurely. She told me she wanted me to do her husband's funeral, a man I never met. Three days later, a week after I first met her, I got a phone call from her that he had passed away. Amazing to be able to do his funeral, and all because I slowed down and talked like a normal human being.
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Thank you for posting your story too, Matt.
I think we all go through these everyday (though perhaps not to the same extremes). It's just that sometimes we actually stop to think about them. My life is all about quickness, excitement, and so on. But I hear what you're saying: stopping to take time to live, to develop meaningful relationship, to hear God voice.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
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That is really frigintastic. I hope I'm able to get in touch with this minister. Not that I want to speak at his funeral, but rather I want to do the right thing. Honestly I don't want to ever speak at a funeral again at this point. Not my favorite thing in the world at all.
Glad to know I'm not the only horrible Christian.
I'm the same way. I get into my own system of doing things and then life just becomes a checklist. I've got the dishes done, I've got lunches packed, I gave my daughter a bath, check, etc, etc, etc.
Then God will do funny things like make a deer ram into my car to break up my system and how I think the day should go. Doesn't he say, "My ways are not your ways…" If there's anything to learn it's that Christianity is not mundane.
nicodemusatnite.blogspot.com
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I hate when I let it go that far. Well, ok I've never had a deer hit the car but I've had plenty of things happen to shake me out of my routine, but then I end up getting back into those same old ruts.
yes.
can I leave it there?
no, I guess not.
So here goes …
Stop doing so much stuff. Doing is as bad as having – too much that is. We become misers of our time with God. And if we do so much stuff for God but forget about God then we need to stop for a while and refocus on God.
Will I listen to myself,
probably not.
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Great advice. I think if we "get it" when we read the rules around things like the Sabbath, then we will realize God is telling us, "Stop doing so much stuff." I love the picture of Him in the garden. He came down in the cool of the evening and hung out. No agenda, no complaining about the names Adam gave stuff, "hey while I'm here let me just say this, why in the name of me did you go with aardvark? Two a's? Seriously dude we need to schedule a meeting," they just chilled. I want that.
Aardvark, lol.
maybe it was originally 'a ardvark', but back in the day before 140 characters, space was at a premium so they had to remove the space. Ok I am reaching.
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