day 1329: Who Can Be Faster?

"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy..."

For a long time now we have been told that with only 15 minutes we can save 15% on our car insurance.  Driving on 101 North by the San Francisco airport is a new billboard.  It comes to us from esurance.  The sign says something about finding your insurance savings in 7 1/2 minutes.  Wow! That's 1/2 the time of Geico.  Well, maybe not really a wow?  Some things in life 1/2 the time is a competitive advantage, but in others, it sends the wrong message.  If I want fast food I know where to find it.  But, when I sit down at a fine restaurant, like I did recently, and the food comes out in the same time that a McDonald's order arrives, (which is what happened), everyone at the table looks at each other and says, "Something is not right."  Knowing the difference between speed and quality is important.  Sometimes, a little more time can be way better than 1/2 the time.

Our God never claimed to be the God of fast.  He is the God of forever.  I am glad that He is not the God of fast as those things that come to us too quickly usually end up ruining us.  We implode under too fast and our spiritual and eternal life is too important critical to let it rush by.  God works in His own time and that time is always the perfect pace for us, if we will only believe and allow ourselves to accept that fact.  Today we may be waiting on a deal to close, or a test result, or the conversation about a promotion or salary raise, or a decision that can have major effect on us.  Let's see if today, and over this weekend, if we can't let God work in His time and then sit back and marvel in why it's not always about being faster.

Reference:  Colossians 1:11 (New Living Translation)

day 519: Slower Can Be Faster

It was Napoleon who was quoted as saying, "Dress me slow for I must ride fast today". Today we have shortened it to, "Slower is Faster". That's not always true but there is some sense in the saying. If we are not prepared, or if we don't think about what we are going to have to do when we get to where we are going, then when we get there, we won't be ready. On the job it is always hurry up and today its about immediacy. We want our information now without hesitation. We want our messages to be pushed to us continuously regardless of where we are and what we are doing. We want to know that those we work with are in constant communication and always on and ready to reply. So, when someone comes along and asks us to sit down, plan, write it out, rehearse, discuss, think or to go slower, we rebel or at the least we don't want to get out of our pattern or lose our momentum. But, sometimes we do need to go slower to be faster. But, it's really hard to do this in today's world. Just to provide some context, this is really not that new. In the Psalms, David wrote about saying to God; "In the day when I call answer me speedily”. He also prayed; “I am in trouble: hear me speedily”. David was not willing to go slow with God, but instead was just like the rest of us and wanted, in this case, his answers, now. But that is not how God works. He works on us slowly so that one day we can go fast with confidence. Think today about what areas in your life are you asking God to hurry up and work at your speed versus His. Also, take a look around your office and see if there some areas where you could benefit from slowing down to see where slower could be faster for you and those around you.

Reference: Psalm 102:2, 69:17 (New Living Testament)