LESSONS FROM THE MAN UPSTAIRS

Why Rush?- The art of slow living

LESSONS+FROM+THE+MAN+UPSTAIRS

When I went to New York City, I remember the taxi drivers that would zoom so fast down the road and fly around corners and on back roads and behind alleys and it was crazy. I’ve never seen someone who was in such a hurry to get to one place or another. Then, I made the comparison to a nice, sunny, sixty-five degree day on a country back road in Central PA, going a hot thirty-five mph and listening to Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker. What did I think was better, you ask? I like them both equally. Though, if I’d have to pick one, it would by the second choice.

Life is such a busy place. The high school hallway is busier than Best Buy on Black Friday. No one ever seems to feel the need to slow down (or even stop) to smell the flowers or the coffee. The best things in life are the things you take the time and energy to do. Because life moves so fast, you need to stop and enjoy once in a while. I like being busy, believe it or not. But I also like to unwind with a Hallmark movie or go for a long run.

People want to get tons of things out of life. It is almost like they are so desperate to suck every last bit of everything out of life until they’ve done everything and there isn’t anything left for them to do. Did that make sense? They are so busy that, over time, they miss the real purpose. They thought they were living their “best” lives, when really, they were going too fast to enjoy any of it. The reason they were going so fast is because they didn’t have God. People long for a purpose in life; they wonder if this life they are living is meaningless. They wouldn’t be caught wondering even a little bit if they committed their lives to Christ. God is the only reason to live and be alive and to be happy. If I didn’t put my trust in the Lord and give all my worries to Him, I might as well be stranded in the middle of the ocean, with no life vest to save me.

We’ve all heard the, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” And that is true, but He is reason for EVERY season. He is reason you should be excited to get out of bed in the morning, be excited to live another fantastic day under the guidance of Christ because He cares for you, be excited to see what the day has in store, be excited to BE ALIVE.

A few days ago, I qualified for states in speech league!!! I apologize for the several exclamation points, but I’m pretty pumped, if you can probably tell. You know how I accomplished such an awesome feat? Look up. Do you see Him? If you look hard enough, and you dig deep enough, He will reveal Himself to you.

To change the subject, I really really really want to talk about dogs for a second. Okay, maybe more than a second, but this has to be done. I LOVE DOGS. I am absolutely in love with my dog, Bo, who is the most precious thing in the world and is the most incredible piece of life there is to come home to every day. Anyways, I wanted to show you some dogs who are living their BEST lives. Why am I showing you these pictures? Because God wants you to live your best life, every single day. Every day may seem monotonous at times, like my Pastor at my church says; however, we should be thankful for that monotonous routine because some people, across the country and across the world, would be on their knees begging for what luxuries we have here. Now, let’s end on a happy note and scroll through this post looking at dogs who are living their best lives. YAY!!!!

 

Deuteronomy 31:6 — “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”