life in the slow lane

I heard a song recently that reminded me of times past. 

The songs we sing bring back memories when we hear them again. They bring back every feeling we once felt; nostalgia sets in, but it’s this happy blissful type so we don’t mind. I love songs like that – song that tell the story of the moments of my life.

I once heard a song that said that fastest way isn’t always the easiest. Funny, that didn’t make much sense to me until now. I think we evaluate how hard or easy something is based on how we feel at any given moment, but our evaluation can completely change when we’re out of it. When we’re in the clear we get to see the whole picture and are reminded of how we have been blessed, that’s when we see things with clear vision.

Sometimes we make choices and they hurt, but that doesn’t mean they’re the wrong choice, just that they’re difficult.

Patience hurts sometimes. It can be utterly grueling. Sometimes it almost feels like you’ll stop breathing if you have to wait another second. But then you wait, and eventually the waiting gets easier and you aren’t so restless.

The fastest way isn’t always the easiest. It may seem that way, but then we reach the end and we see that if we had done things differently, if we had gone the fast way, everything would have culminated in disaster. So, we decide to take the longer way, because then we aren’t setting ourselves up for failure. We’re patient and kind, we forgive and we have compassion. We work things out. We give each other the chance to change; we see what will become of us instead of forcing one another to become things that we are not. We don’t jump in head first. We trust.

The longer way is difficult because we are not sure if, in the end, it is worth it. But I think it is. When we are patient and calm we can take things as they come. We wait for the best. We don’t settle.

Taking the fast way we are not prepared when, unexpectedly, things change and we all end up with broken hearts and jaded souls. That is no way to live.

We’re not being too careful. We’re not full of fear. We’re just being cautious, and as such we are being wise. We are not the type of people to throw ourselves out there and just let any old person or any fleeting feeling take hold of us and drive us into the dark. No, we’re better than that. So we don’t take the very first thing that comes along, and we don’t despair if, in the end, we’re still alone. Because we’re doing it right, and that’s what matters. We’re saving our hearts so that we might save our lives.

“Guard your heart above all else, for it is the wellspring of life.” –Proverbs 4:23

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