Slow is as equally important as Fast.....

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.

Jeremiah 31:10

I can’t remember the last time I sat and reflected on anything. Life has been just too busy. When my life becomes as fanatic as it’s been, it always leads me to the question, Is this what God wants?

Jeremiah’s passage reminds me of how often the Lord as my Shepherd metaphor is used and how apropos it is. I must appear as a lamb who has become separated from the rest of the flock. running aimlessly searching for the safety and warmth and protection of “my family.” When I think of my life in those terms, I already know the answer.

That’s the wonderful thing about Susie and Deliah as my role models. They do not do anything fanatically; I don’t believe the word is in a cat’s vocabulary. Oh, I have seen them run pass skidding across the wood floor and tumblesaulting onto the bed and spring boarding upon the dresser. That is not fanatic. Nor is it rushing. That is cat gymnastics. Afterwards, there is always a well-deserved nap.

Fanatic, in modern terms, probably has become nuanced by a frenzy of movement rather than motivation. Oh, I am sure there are but a few religious fanatics around, but fanatically fueled people abound. Unlike Deliah and Susie, society applauds those who accumulate wealth and measure success by appearance. An enormous amount of our time is spent devoted to those things while we neglect the more important aspects of what comprises a quality life: rest, relaxation, recreation and reflection.

It is already Holy Week and either my busy schedule or its effect on me has kept me from spiritually engaging in this very important remembrance of Christ’s life. Susie and Deliah, sleeping at my side, remind me that slow is as equally important as fast. I can choose not to rush. I can choose to rest between what has to be done. And not everything has to be done in one day. I can choose what is important and what is not.

I can always find gratitude in my day. If I only slow up long enough to be able to glance the blessings in between.