Kathryn Lindholm-Leary
Child And Adolescent Development
San Jose State
I was speeding, and I knew it.
It was the icing on the proverbial cake of a profoundly frustrating several days. My newly retired husband and I were building our “dream home” in a town 420 miles from our current home. In the past few days, we’d had more than a few arguments about the numerous decisions we had to make. We were both very frustrated.
A Leisurely Chat With God
The speeding ticket forced me to slow down – not only my car but my mind as well, and that’s when I heard that still small voice nudging me to stop speeding through life. I had been busy with so many work projects and house-related decisions that I had often found myself with too little time or patience to read and reflect on God’s word, to have a leisurely chat with God, or to show God’s love to others.
I wish I could say this was an isolated event borne out of a brief period of chaos in my life, but I must admit that this “driven” Type A personality is pretty entrenched in my mind and behavior. How many times have I missed meeting the needs of a student or missed a Christian faculty meeting because I was speeding through life and focused only on my work?
As I write this, I still want to justify myself – my motives are pure, my work is important! But, that’s not really the point, is it? Jesus’ work was very important, but He knew that prayer and rest were important. He tells us, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). There’s an important reason for that rest, because it’s only in that rest that we can slow down, draw close to God, discern His will for our lives, and meet the needs of those around us.
For the remainder of the five hours on the road, I was transformed with a renewing of my mind and soul. God bestowed blessings I didn’t deserve. When I stopped to get a cup of coffee, it turned out that the shop was run by Christians and had numerous signs with Bible verses, like Psalm 23 (one of my favorites). On the radio, the same themes kept coming up about treating others with gentleness and kindness, taking your eyes off the material things and putting them on the spiritual, surrendering all to Christ.
A Far Greater Home
But what really got to me was listening to J. Vernon McGee and hearing the reminder that “In my Father’s are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2). So, why was I arguing about whether our dream home’s door handles should be brass or brushed nickel?
None of those things really matter I have a far greater home in heaven. I need to slow down, set my heart and mind more fully on Jesus and ultimately, prepare for that home.
© 2007 Kathryn Lindholm-Leary Used by permission of Faculty Commons