Living The Slow Life

Pursuing intentional rest in a high-speed world

How much of life do we spend on the run?

We speedwalk from work to meetings to outings with an alacrity that fits our culture of ceaseless speed.

Too often, I find myself trapped in a constant rush of activity, only to crash and burn on those days when I don’t have much planned and the adrenaline has a chance to wear off.

I act as if I’m invincible - as if the passage of time and motion takes no toll on me. Yet it does.

Just Be

This world has so much to offer - so much beauty to enjoy, experiences to relish, and simple moments to make the most of - and yet we all too often miss these opportunities in the present because we are so consumed with what might be in the future.

How often do we persist in chasing efficiency and ‘the next step’ rather than simply pausing to enjoy this one?

In our culture, we run the very real risk of spending our whole lives preparing for what’s next rather than enjoying what we have right now.

Yes, the world may be your oyster, but what about this patch of turf, this situation, and this irreplaceable moment that you’ve been gifted today?

Too often, we focus so steadily on the line on the horizon that we forget to paddle in the waves dancing around our feet, to dig our toes into the sand today, and just be.

These moments never come again, and they are priceless.

Created To Rest

God has created us for good works, and sometimes that good work is simply to marvel at the beauty of moments and this incredible world that He has created.

We glorify Him by marvelling at His works of art.

But He has also created us with an inbuilt need to rest - our minds, our bodies, and our souls.

We are not invincible.

Life and the ceaseless activity we find ourselves swept up in take their toll eventually.

We are often told that we were created to work.

But the truth is that we were also created to rest.

We were designed to need space, quiet, and a frequent ‘reset’.

Too often, however, we continue our mad dash of productivity - or more frequently simply activity - and survive from one week to the next on minimal sleep, even less true rest, and a buzz of ‘doing’ that drowns out the act of ‘being’.

He has not placed us in this moment simply to chase the next.

Be Intentional About Rest

As God’s creations, we must recognise and accept the way He has created us, and this means accepting that He has created us with a need to rest.

And like every area of life, if God has designed us for something and commanded us to do it, we must be intentional about it.

We obey God, celebrate the goodness of His creation, and fulfill His design for us by being intentional about rest.

Rest - like work - is good and is a gift from God.

So how do we do this? How can we be intentional about the way we rest?

1. Rest In Christ

Psalm 46 tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble… The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

He is with us, which is why He commands us to “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

We are to ‘be still’ and rest in His sovereignty because He is in control, and nothing can ever change that.

In Psalm 91, we are reminded that “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty… He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge.”

We rest our souls when we reflect on the glories of the gospel, preach to ourselves the goodness and trustworthiness of God, and relinquish ourselves into His capable care.

He is in control, He is good, and we need to remind ourselves daily of these truths.

Our God is completely trustworthyand sovereign over every event we face: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'… I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” (Isaiah 46:9-11)

Rest in Him - His goodness, His faithfulness, and His ever-present sovereign hand in our lives.

2. Rest In Nature

Nature is not restful simply for ‘nature lovers’.

We are part of God’s good creation, and being out in His creation reminds us how intrinsically involved He is in every aspect of the universe - from atoms to asteroids.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” (Genesis 1:1), and this world is His work of art: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)

Nature points us to the Creator and reveals His sustaining grace in the minutiae, the mountains, and the moments.

In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us to “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Later on in the chapter, He says again, “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30)

Reminding us yet again of the depths of His compassion and sustaining care of us, every creature, and the entire universe, He says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7)

He who created all this loves you.

He reminds us that “All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2)

The incredible nature of our relationship with God - the Creator of galaxies in covenant relationship with sinful humans - is revealed perhaps nowhere more poignantly than in the marvels of His creation.

This is our God.

3. Rest Slowly

One of the things I’ve noticed most since moving to London is that nothing moves slowly.

Everyone is in a rush, huddled in their own isolating world with earbuds in, smiles hidden, and eyes averted.

All too often, I find myself just another one of the million nameless faces darting from station to station and careening down the highway of life at breakneck speed.

But I don’t want to live life this way.

And so I have determined to be intentional about embracing the slow life where I can.

I walk as much as I can rather than taking the faster route of the overcrowded stress-pit of the London Underground.

I take time to simply be: to write an article in a park using just pen and paper so I’m reducing my screen time; to journal surrounded by a myraid of candles and a Yorkshire tea; or to read a chapter (or several, depending how gripping the book is) before I go to sleep each night.

Embracing slowness doesn’t mean doing nothing - it means chasing value over efficiency and focusing on the activity itself rather than simply ticking another task off a never-ending ‘to-do list’.

Take time to read a few chapters, to wander with no specific destination, and to just think without all the distractions of this high-speed life.

Not everything has to be done fast - it is good to slow down, to enjoy being alive, and to rest in the knowledge that God is in control and we are not.

Live The Slow Life

In this life of ceaseless activity, noise, and the constant pursuit of “the next thing”, take time to enjoy where you are right now.

Almost certainly, despite how hard life often is, you are living in the midst of answered prayers.

These moments don’t come again, and although heaven will be incomparably greater, this world is still full of beauty, of experiences, and of priceless opportunities to live to the fullest.

Jim Elliot wrote, “Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

This is how I desire to live my life - with an eternal mindset and a focus on living today with everything I have.

To give all that I am to glorify and enjoy God in the time I have right now.

I know I will fail many times - I am weak, easily distracted, and naturally inclined to pursue temporal dreams rather than eternal purposes.

However, I desire never to look back and feel I have wasted my life, but to make the most of every moment God has granted me here on this earth.

As Christians, we should want to live intentionally - in the working and the resting.

So work hard, rest slow, and live to the hilt the ‘today’ that God has given you.

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