It seems like life has a way of going slow!
And then it seems to be in a rush of unprecedented speed, going faster and faster. Like the beginning of a river that faces a gorge, it feels the pressure of a narrowing pathway. It picks up speed as it compresses. The power of the moment is almost overwhelming. Then. Suddenly. The banks open up and the power of the river becomes that smooth flowing waterway…
That’s life… A slow pace, a time period of immense pressure and compression, and then a slow pace. Again, and again. Then, like the mighty Columbia River that begins in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, the river merges into the Pacific Ocean and yields itself to a totally different life.
This process of speeding up, and then slowing down, can happen many times in a day, or few times during your life. It all depends on the circumstances, and how you deal with them.
Think about it a moment. This is exactly how your heart works. Speed up, compress, pump, rest. A typical life, lived till 80 years of age, will experience approximately 3,363,840,000 heartbeats. That’s billion. Of course, we all experience racing events where we may have a higher number, but think about the marvelous engine that is your heart. It’s able to handle the stress of your life. Day in. Day out.
Since the early days of extending life by artificial measures, heart doctors and scientists have worked to create the perfect artificial, albeit mechanical, heart. [Watch this video] To a degree there have been successes, but as technology continues to advance there will come a day when the heart will be replaced by mechanical measures, or a new heart will simply be grown to replace a failing heart.
During the past two years it seems that the pace of my life has leaped from complete rest into heart stopping moments of anguish and concern. Much of it comes from within, you know, you cause your own worst problems because you failed to handle something better, earlier…from health, to finances, to relationships, to career, to calling, to whatever you must face that is uniquely your issue.
It’s almost been a maelstrom of turmoil. My oil can is nearly empty and it feels tough to find the calmness required to “go with the flow”.
- Too many people with too many agendas.
- Too many irons in the fire.
- Too many people with a “throw in the towel” mentality and spirit.
Where is the sticktoitiveness of yesteryear? No perseverance. No hardy spirit. No patience. No long-view of life. Seekers of personal gratification, quick rewards, and a rejecting spirit of anything not meeting their needs.
We often find ourselves in turmoil, seeking a path of peace through the troubled waters. David wrote about this after he found deliverance from Saul who sought to destroy him. Read the whole chapter in a modern English translation and the picture is deep, and wide. But take special note of these few verses.
“When the waves of death surrounded me, The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears. (2 Samuel 22:5-7 NKJV)
Notice. The waves of death, floods of ungodliness, the sorrows of hell, the snares of death…when it seems you are about to be overwhelmed because you cannot handle the pace, then you call upon God! This is the hope of everyone of us! When it seems like we are about to be flooded out of existence, then there is a solution…
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27 NKJV)
Peace. Not the peace found in quasi-existence of this world. There is no peace here. The only peace I find is in Him. So.
- I learn to chose my friends better, seeking those with an agenda of peace and not of turmoil.
- I learn to let go of tasks knowing it will never be accomplished by my hands and I have to yield them to another.
- I learn to let people go, wish them well, knowing they will keep searching until God finds them overwhelmed, bottomed out, next to death, and, finally, yielded.
Think about it. Selah.
To the Chief Musician. On A Stringed Instrument.
A Psalm of David.
Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth
I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
Selah
(Psalms 61:1-4 NKJV)