and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. (Proverbs 19:2 ESV)
We live in a world pumped up on caffeine! Everyone is in a hurry! We have forgotten how to be patient and wait for ANYTHING! We see this in school even among children. They are being raised in a culture in which no one wants to stand in line. They push their way to the front, they shout out for immediate attention, they want everything to be instant and easy. They frustrate easily, and groan when asked to do the simplest task. I wonder where they learn this behavior????
A teacher friend and I were talking about this the other day, and she pointed out that people are in such a hurry to get their coffee that we have Starbuck’s on practically every corner to satisfy their need! It’s a Starbuck’s world! I don’t know about you, but whenever I walk into a store that has a line longer than three people ahead of me, I inwardly groan, and I outwardly huff and puff! We have lost the art of patience! The only time we are still is when we are in bed with the flu!
Our verse today tells us that being in a hurry only gets us into trouble! When we make hasty or impulsive decisions, we are sure to regret them! I have a whole closet full of clothes purchased on impulse that have yet to see the light of day! But if we were only talking about clothes and waiting in line at a store, it wouldn’t be so bad. The problem is we make major decisions in much the same way, based on how we feel at any given moment. And the results can be disastrous!
A woman, not wanting to be without a man, will grab onto the first one who pays her the slightest attention. Someone, listening to her “biological clock” may settle for her “Ishmael” rather than waiting for her “Isaac.” Many, not willing to do the hard work of relationships, will rush into divorce, leaving a disaster in their wake. We don’t know how to wait on the LORD! We are too busy rushing into plans of our own making to be still.
I was talking with my class yesterday about changes in communication over the last 150 years (we are studying the telegraph, Pony Express, stagecoaches, transcontinental railroad as part of our study of California history). It took three weeks for a stagecoach to come from St. Louis to California, but only 10 days for a letter to come by Pony Express. Can you imagine having to wait 10 days for a text message??? I was telling them how it would take up to a week for a letter to cross country when I was a girl, unless you paid an extra 21cents to send it via airmail! Stores closed in those days at 5:00 p.m. PERIOD! There were no “Midnight Sales” or even any sales at all on a Sunday! You had to wait for Monday! Imagine!
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10)
People, we need to slow it down! We need to learn the art of waiting, but, more importantly we need to model and teach it to our children! They need to see a life that is quiet and tranquil. When was the last time you experienced tranquility???? The next time we find ourselves in a line, how about praying for each person ahead of us instead of cursing the “slow” cashier? :)
No comments:
Post a Comment