in the fast lane going slow

That's what I am.  And as far back as I can remember, that's what I've always been.  Growing up, I was granted the nickname "Pokey" by my step-dad. My husband even has a name for my lolly-gagging. He calls it "bardering" (a funny morphed version of my maiden name :-) 

God just didn't give me the gift of speed.  So here I am:  in the fast lane going slow.

I used to say, "when life slows down, then I'll..."  And then one day I finally realized that life isn't going to slow down on its own.  We have too many devices that are constantly speeding it up. Microwaves. The Internet. Cell phones. Email. Text messaging. PDAs. Society is getting spoiled...don't you just hate it when you have to wait?  At a stoplight...in line at the grocery store...when you can't get ahold of someone...for someone to return your email...for a file to download...for a prayer to be answered.  Whatever it is we want, we want it now.  Life seems to be one big hurry.

So, I decided that if I wanted life to slow down, then I was going to have to make it slow down. I've had to cut back on some commitments to make time for the things that are most important to me.  And mostly, that boils down to people.  People are most important to me.  I don't want to come to the end of my life and wish I would have done things differently, like spending more time with family and friends.  I mean, don't get me wrong.  I know I'll have regrets when I get there...I already have tons. 

The good news is, I still have plenty of time to invest in relationships, Lord willing of course. And one of the reasons this investment is so important to me is because that's what Jesus did. He spent his entire life investing in people...not only addressing their needs in this life, but with real focus on their eternal life.  What a perfect example, literally.

So, I guess I'll go forth in the fast lane we call life with intentional efforts of trying to slow it down so that the really important things in my life aren't actually things, but people.

I hope you feel invested in and have the time to find several lives to invest in yourself.  I bet the people you invest in will tell you it's worth it.