So, I've begun to realize recently that I tend towards warp speed on virtually everything... I tend to be like my nephew Kaedon when he was first learning to walk.. he never walked actually, he ran.. and every time he switched surfaces he would fall.. so it ended up being extremely comical. But, I've begun to realize I sorta operate my life this way, let me explain...
I've realized recently that not only do I maintain a very busy pace of life, but I also maintain a very fast pace of personal growth. I like to see my progress, even if small I like to know I've not become stagnant. I go to great lengths to talk to people, get opinions, assess the situation, then I make a decision and fly with it.
I tend to be more of the hare, in the tortoise and the hare story.. Although, recently I've discovered a whole new breed of people.. The snail. Haha, these are the people that for whatever reason they come up with, move..... at...... a...... painfully................. slow............. pace............ of........... life.......................... and........... growth...... Good grief! Normally, I begin to not only get impatient, but I start doing things to try and move them along faster. Mostly its because I honestly don't understand the decision to move SOOOOO SLLLOOOOWWWWLLLYYYY... It makes no sense to me, and my obviously limited brain cannot comprehend the reason why. I mean I get that I'm an act first or in some cases while I'm in the midst of doing whatever it is that I'm doing.. But, in reality God has just graced me with a mind that moves faster than I can physically move.. haha his little blessing to keep me from killing myself on accident I think :)
What I cannot understand is why people choose to move slowly. I mean I get it, if they have to wait on something anyway, why not slow down a bit right?... What I don't get, is why choose the slow mode of operation for personal growth, getting closer to Jesus or simply getting out of a situation you hate. Why would you wait when you COULD do it now? I just don't get it....
However, I have begun to realize that these snail paced people will in some cases move faster, but in most cases choose not to... But, in all cases my job isn't to move them. My job is to encourage them, love them, help them, and when need be, carry them... With some people I've only been able to put a bug in their ear to encourage movement, with others I've flat out yelled at them, and with others I've just sat still with them and waited while they thought of the best path to take. What I have realized is, I will probably never operate as a snail.. It's just not the way I was made (I even have a fast heart rate :), but through it all I can learn more and more each day about how to love the snail in a manner that they need to help them move... maybe not a lot, but something to keep them from stalling.. And, no matter the pace I've begun to learn how to accept it and how to understand that it's ok not to move at my pace. My pace isn't "the right way" and their pace isn't "the wrong way"... it's simply a way, neither is sinning (inherently anyway), so, it's ok to allow them to move only when God specifically tells them to, instead of my idea (stolen from Shell) "Go until He says no."
1 comment:
Both the snail and the tortoise have a shell to protect them. The hare prides itself in being faster and apparently able to reach the finish line first, but the tortoise and snail can stand in the face of uncertainty while the hare can do nothing but run away at the slightest noise.
The hare may see their relationship with Christ as a goal, a finish line they can get closer to, but since you can never get close enough to Jesus (there's always room for improvement), the hare crosses checkpoint after checkpoint, but never totally crosses the finish line.
The tortoise (and by extension the slower snail) sees his relationship with Christ as his shell; it is always there to protect him as a constant companion, and without it, he would die. Wherever the race takes him, it doesn't matter where he is or when he finishes, as long as he has his shell with him in the end.
Neither one of these analogies are totally correct though. The way I explained it, it makes the hare look selfish for not taking time to slow down and pursue Jesus. The hare seems to be objectifying Him, which makes a relationship with Him impossible. However, the tortoise also needs to learn that complacency is not a sign of true faith, and a real relationship with Jesus will move and change you. Even if there's never a finish line, there's still a road that needs to be traveled.
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