Life is moving at warp speed. Information overload is our new daily normal; “adapt and pivot” is the catch phrase of 2020. In the midst of this, the effects of “hurriedness” have been on my heart as I seek to love God and lead others well.
Recently, I was encouraged to step away from the office for a couple of days and participate in the Global Leadership Summit (GLS). At the GLS, world class authors, pastors, and Christian leaders instruct and inspire Jesus-loving women and men. It’s no surprise then, that the speaker who focused on pace – the speed in which we travel through life – resonated deeply and continues to inspire and challenge me.
Pastor Michael Todd spoke with power and transparency on The Pace of Leadership. Pastor Todd began with a simple but profound statement of truth: Jesus accomplished world changing ministry in 3 years, and Jesus was never hurried. Let that sink in for just a minute. In scripture Jesus was never rushed, never short tempered with the hurt and broken, and never shackled to the demands of a calendar. Jesus always had time: the time to pray; the time to mentor, the time to heal, the time to be present and in the moment.
Maybe you are a little bit like me. In the midst of life’s crazy demands, it can be easy to get out of step, off pace, and hurried. A hurried pace is not healthy or sustainable long-term. Eventually, a hurried pace will sap our energy, steal our joy, and negatively impact how we treat the people we love the most. It can leave us emotionally numb, missing little life moments as they happen, and blind to the mini and major miracles that happen around us every day. This is not the pace that Jesus spoke of when he said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest” in Matthew 11.
Pastor Todd reminds us all that a healthy pace allows for productive work, passionate worship, and genuine rest. A healthy pace is sustainable long-term. It includes time for work AND family, ministry AND rest, recreation AND fun. It allows for margins in our life to enjoy the life we have now, in this moment, with these people. A healthy pace lets us slow down, declutter, and unschedule. It provides the opportunity to experience moments, make new memories and witness miracles that happen every day. A healthy pace. It’s radical. It’s counterculture. It’s exactly what Jesus did. Thanks Pastor Todd – that’s just the reminder and the challenge that I need.
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