Slow is Fast

There’s a common phrase among rodeo athletes that’s usually uttered as a means to breed success:

Slow is fast; fast is slow.

From what I understand about it, the phrase is more applicable on the timed-event side of things. The rodeo athletes who have told it to me explain it like this: the best runs feel slow, but they are usually the fastest. It all comes down to properly executing the fundamentals of each event. To do that correctly, these athletes can’t rush through the steps even if they need to be done fairly quickly. Regardless, the purpose of the phrase is to make it abundantly clear that getting in a hurry isn’t part of the equation for success.

A light bulb came on for me recently as I sat at the feet of Jesus wondering why I’m living among the thorns [Mark 4:10-20]. The exact words I wrote were, “I’m in too much of a hurry that slowing down to know Jesus feels like regression not progression.” That sentence brings tears to my eyes because it’s absolutely saturated with a mentality that only comes from living in and for the world. Right now, there’s a lot of truth to it for me. Sitting with the Lord to get to know him intimately takes time and that’s something I’ve convinced myself I don’t have room for. That mentality has nothing to do with the fact that a 15-month-old now runs around my house looking for ways to watch the world burn. That’s something I came by honestly and practiced enough to make perfect.

Hustle culture certainly makes it even easier to live in a state of hurry. I’ve found myself trying to take up a hobby and then immediately wondering if I can turn that into a business somehow. That thought surfaces almost immediately and usually wrecks the potential enjoyment I would’ve gotten from pursuing that new hobby. On that same token, I’ve been a freelance writer for almost two years now. That was a huge leap of faith in and of itself; trusting that the Lord wouldn’t let my talent and love for writing go to waste. He’s been oh so good to me in that endeavor but with that I’ve had to learn to slow down. That has meant uttering the dirty word “no” a few times when before I wouldn’t use it all. To my complete shock, it’s been well received, and I have not been shunned for it. This is diving into a bit of a rabbit hole, but it’s still relevant to my main point.

I grew up thinking it was a badge of honor that I always had at least two jobs at any given time. That was from the time I could drive and still plays out in a sense today. It really didn’t have anything to do with being in a hurry, it was about the pursuit of money. I always wanted more of it and never felt like I could have enough. I get to battle that nasty demon quite often but it’s getting easier each time. It was this love of money and the constant pursuit of it that made me a professional at hurry. I can get us from point A to point B much faster than Google maps predicts because I’m in a hurry. I type aggressively fast because my to-do list is long, and people are counting on me to meet deadlines. I forget to enjoy the season of life I’m in because I’m in a hurry to get to the next one to see if I get all that I’m working for. That last one hurts the most. While it’s important to work hard for the people counting on me; it can’t come at the expense of rest and living life rather than just existing in it. I’ve ate this verse to the point where I understand its context enough that it fits into the point I’m trying to drive home:

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive your inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Jesus Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24

I recently read the “Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer at the recommendation of a close friend. It was neat to see familiar language from my time in D-group used in that book. As much as I hate to admit this, it felt like permission from cultural bounds to remove myself from the hurry that’s always knocking on my door. Admitting that seems wrong because I’ve always had permission from the place that it matters to not be in a hurry: Jesus. He was never in a hurry even when people thought he probably should be. That’s it, that’s the lesson. Jesus wasn’t in a hurry, so should I be? He came down to earth and modeled everything that we should be doing: making disciples who make disciples, resting with the Lord, loving one another and simply being humans who glorify God through our triumphs and trials.

Jesus wasn’t in a hurry. Slow is fast; fast is slow.

I lump these two phrases together because living fast (in a hurry) is the slowest way to walk out God’s will for my life. While living slow is the fastest way to know the Father’s business and to live in His preferred will. This has been a liberating revelation for me and I’m excited to walk in freedom from hurry. I will add that it doesn’t end here. There are fundamental changes to my daily life taking place and I truly hope the ones closest to me to can physically feel the shift.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18-19