Is It Time to Slow Down?

Lettie Cowman, the writer over a century ago of the devotional Streams in the Desert, told a story about an Englishman who took it upon himself to explore the deep jungles of Africa. He brought with him a plethora of items to keep him company and to allow him his usual style of living.

Because of his abundance of supplies, he hired several men from one of the local villages to carry his goods throughout his trek in the jungle. On the first day all traveled at a swift pace and then rested in the evening. The second day was similar to the first. The Englishman was quite pleased with his progress.

However, on the third day when the Englishman got up eager to begin, he was surprised to find the men of the village sitting in a circle. When the Englishman asked the reason for this slow start and delay, the guide for the trek said, “They are waiting. They can’t move any further until their souls have caught up with their bodies.”

Lettie Cowman completed her devotional with this thought: “This whirling, rushing life which so many of us live does for us what that march did for those poor tribesmen. But here is the difference: They knew what they needed to restore life’s balance; too often we do not.”

Wow! Isn’t it amazing that over a century ago, our culture was considered fast paced? If back then, we were moving too quickly, what does that say for our pace of life now?

Robert Frost wrote a poem, which suggests that we always have choices in life. 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Are we thinking carefully about how we are living our lives?  If we were to choose a path that lets our souls catch up with our bodies, I want to suggest to you…that could make all the difference!