With short legs, a ton of energy, and an impatient streak, I practically jog everywhere I go. If I walk with a slower friend, I sometimes find myself several steps ahead, still talking, but not actually engaged in the trip.
Mismatched Feet
I think we often do the same thing with God. We feel like He is poking around somewhere behind, plucking flowers and delighting in butterflies while we are ready to pick up the pace. So we whirl around, throw up our hands, and cry, “Come on, already! I was ready to be at (xyz) two years ago! What is the problem?!”
Or maybe you find yourself on the other end, trying to enjoy a walk with a friend but you keep falling behind.
Do you think God feels like that sometimes? Like we are pulling, pushing, and pleading with Him to move faster, when He just wants us to pause and enjoy the walk with Him? He knows there are things He cannot teach us if we refuse to slow down, to notice, to listen. But He is patient and eager to teach us if we will learn the power of the pause.
Personally, there are days (and weeks) when I clutch for control, full of stress, instead of stopping to rest and learn the lesson my Father wants to teach me. But I remember that He says,
Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.
(Matthew 11:28-30, MSG)
Notice He invites us to walk with Him. Not run ahead or wander off on a side road, but to stay beside Him and patiently encounter every moment as it comes, living this brief life with our focus on Him. To rest, to slow down, to just be with Him.
Sometimes I am just fine with the pace, but I start to doubt the direction God and I are walking as if He has never been on this particular road before. As if His eyesight were as bad as my own and His understanding limited like mine. But He tells me,
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.(Isaiah 41:10, NLT)
He knows where He is going and would not bother to bring us along if it were not a very good idea.
So the next time you find yourself running ahead of God, getting impatient and frustrated, stop a minute. Get away with Him. He will show you how to rest so you can enjoy the walk.
Read also: He’s always there
