Life seems to be happening at an ever-increasing pace!

Growing up, kids simply enjoyed being kids. Teenagers looked forward to getting their license to drive a car. Families gathered in the living room to watch their favorite tv shows, catch a movie on the weekend, and spend time together outdoors.

Remember when neighbors actually knew each other? There were cookouts, playdates, and small talk over the fence or at the mailbox. Going to the mailbox (or the post office) was a daily ritual. People typically corresponded with family or friends using what is now called snail mail. We used it to pay bills, send Christmas cards, and care packages to someone in college or the military.

This was the norm. But with advances in technology—which are truly amazing and “time saving”—we are losing patience and personal focus on what it means to live in community with others.

Now we correspond back and forth in spurts through text message. We expect packages overnight or same-day delivery. We have paperless billing. We can binge-watch TV and get movies instantly through online streaming. Insta-cart and Amazon Fresh drop groceries at our door. Family dinners are restaurant quality food without all the bother, quick and easy via Door Dash.

A quicker pace is not always a good thing.

People rush to cancel one another through social media instead of making an effort to speak face to face (or through a phone conversation) to resolve our issues or differences.

As believers, we need to understand that a quicker pace can be detrimental to our personal time with the Lord and service to others.

Are we hasty in our prayers? Does reading God’s Word for more than twenty minutes a day seem unrealistic to us? Do we faithfully set aside time each week for church and service to others?

The Bible says there is “a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Yet when it comes to prayers and what we want, if we’re honest with ourselves we want the answer now. When prayers seem to go unanswered, do we persevere or do we lose patience?

Are we hasty in our work and responsibilities? Moving quickly through our tasks often hinders us from doing them effectively and whole-heartedly. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward…it is the Lord you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).

What do we miss when we rush?

We miss the beauty of the moment God has placed in front of us. Missed opportunities to bless someone, or to simply be still and savor knowing that He is God.  Missed moments to grow in intimacy with our Lord slip by unnoticed.

As children of The Most High we are free to come into His presence and commune with our Father. So let us make the best use of our time in spite of difficulties and the mad rush of this culture we live in.

Let us read and contemplate His Word and consider how we are spending our time and resources. Let us not be hasty in how we deal with the people in our lives.

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, let us put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bearing with one another and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone. Just as the Lord forgave you, so you must also forgive” (Colossians 3:12-13).

As a result, we won’t be quick to cancel one another. Instead, by grace we will walk in forgiveness.

Jesus was never in a rush, even with the pressing needs and requests that surrounded Him every day. He always put the will of His Father first. And ultimately, He met the needs of every individual, according to God’s will. His timing is perfect!

I think of times when I’ve tried to rush a project without giving attention, or even just hurried to get a meal on the table for my family—only to have to toss it out and start over. Better to be like Mary, who understood that sitting at the feet of Jesus was her first priority. Serving others would be the natural response of putting Jesus first, and it would bear spiritual fruit in time, according to His will.

Friends, our primary role in this life is to worship Him. Let’s be intentional about slowing down and letting our priorities be rooted in Christ.

Spending time with Him daily, in prayer and His Word, will give us wisdom to sort through and meet every other responsibility in our day. As the Bible says, “It is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and one who hurries his footsteps errs” (Proverbs 19:2).

Ladies, there’s no need to rush but let’s run this race well.