Tuesday Tidings June 18, 2024

Dearest Members of Bethlehem,

“Be still, and know that I am God!  I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” -Psalm 46:10

I had managed to carve out some time on the golf course, something I truly love to do.  The only trouble was, I needed to cover a ton of ground before I could get there.

There’s no need to go into the details, as we have all been through this.  But I raced around all day, so that I could get everything “done.”  Even when I got to the course, I was still racing around - club, shoes, cart, hurry!

By the third swing, my kind and gracious partner finally said, “Why don’t you just slow it down Dan, your backswing is way too fast!”  I wish I could tell you they were mistaken, but far from it… the advice and encouragement were spot on.  The fact of the matter is, all the hurrying around that I had been doing carried over into the rest of my day.

It makes me wonder how often we find ourselves caught up in this harried pace, and how often this incessant rushing transposes itself into the rest of our day.  

It’s a concern for me, because while Golf is not an essential part of my life, God is.  Can the quest to “get done,” change the spirit in which I approach scripture, attend to devotions, or chat with my siblings in Christ?  Certainly, there’s no doubt about it.

And that means, that every once in a while, we might need to slow down a bit.  A deep breath always helps.  If you can afford it, just 30 seconds of quiet can clear your mind a bit.  And then, there’s always this question to consider too, why am I in such a hurry to get everything “done” anyway?

Having days filled with some substance is a blessing.  Instead of racing through them, it might be good to savor our days a bit more.  

There will always be things to be done, and we’ll always have places to be, but sometimes, it might be time recognize that God has us right where we need to be for the moment.

Question for reflection: What aspects of these beautiful summer days are you savoring the most?

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Dan

God of goodness, bless these days of ours with light and peace, that our contentment in you would lead to our genuine and lasting concern for others.  We pray this in the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ, amen.