Just slow down now

[notice]A fortnightly devotional based on everyday experiences.[/notice]

Are you listening? Have you noticed all this?
Stop in your tracks! Take in God’s miracle wonders! Job 37:14 (MSG)

In February my husband was diagnosed with cancer.

And all of a sudden our lives slowed down.

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In the space of one doctor’s appointment we narrowed our focus to one thing: getting better.

Everything else we’d thought was important till then – his studies, language lessons, work and so on – suddenly became secondary to our primary focus of making sure he not only made it through chemotherapy but became healthy afterwards.

At the time it was hard to phone and cancel. It was awkward to turn down invitations to this event or that function but we’d identified what was important and that was slowing down.

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In slowing down I’ve realised that we haven’t really missed anything. Instead we’ve gained time with each other, with friends and with God. We’ve enlarged our capacity for the beauty of life.

Nine months later life is still slower.

I’ve realised that often I tried to live too fast before.

I didn’t always take the time to just be still, to just sit and watch the sunset with my husband or admire the flowers that God caused to bloom outside my window.

When I’m rushing I miss God calling out to me. I miss focusing on the one thing that matters in my relationship with God: being all there.

And I miss out on the terrible beauty that streams from God.

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Today, take a moment to slow down and take in all the beauty that God has put around you. Stop wherever you are right now and take in God’s miracle wonders.