Have you ever observed a hummingbird? Not seen one – but noticed one fly by…and watched one land to rest. They do it several times during the day and usually have a set circuit with specific branches to perch on. They’re more known for their high speed, but I had never considered that they actually slowed down – on and with purpose, before watching it happen daily.
You know how lifting weights and the most effective workout regimens have intervals with rest in between series, and marathoners have water station breaks to pace themselves well and be refreshed along the way to avoid konkin’ out midway?
Visions and dreams tend to come during precious moments in creation, prayer or praise time, conversations, pockets of stillness and amidst seemingly everyday housework duties. Constant busyness (spent outside of a peaceful home) doesn’t make room for and isn’t conducive to visions, dreams, self-examination, rest and refreshment and it can be a distraction or escape – not always…but sometimes. A life made constantly busy can affect being present to receive a timely word from above, especially in a world of distractions insistent on bullying us about and shoulder-shoving us from one shiny thing to the other. We’re more likely to have a revelation while sitting in traffic than when moving at high speed dodging cars or navigating a roundabout. Create some breathing room in your life…and observe how much deeper you breathe, clearer you think, lighter you walk, grateful you feel and purposeful you live…while doing what you are called to do.
Through the years, I’ve noticed that though lyric, melody and topic ideas can come when I’m on the move, it’s in the purposeful quiet chunks of time that hundreds of songs and blog posts were actually written, composed and fulfilled.
While you’re pressing in, be conscious not to squeeze the joy and purpose out of it. Life is not meant to be a blur. We can sometimes be more vigilant about and committed to replacing, recharging, updating and de-fragging things like batteries, phones, hard drives, supplies and digital devices of choice than our own minds and bodies in this tech-heavy world.
Pace yourself well, sis. When’s the last time you honestly checked your mood, mindset, tempo, health and habits? Do you find we can sometimes get irritable, anxious, achy and prone to absent-mindedness when rushed, yet more encouraged, vibrant and pleasant when refreshed? Our state of mind tends to overflow into our life walk and what-or-whoever else we come into contact with. That doesn’t mean it’s not exhilarating to be riding a productivity wave; in fact it can be tough to press pause the more you enjoy something that doesn’t feel like ‘work’ (there are plenty posts on this blog on just that.) If you’re looking for a biological reason to back this up, once a month our bodies do something completely different from men – no matter what inventions some like to conjure up – and that’s for a reason that naturally leads to a time of rest and a change in pace. ‘Burning the candle at both ends’ means there’s nothing to rest it safely on and eventually the fire meets in the middle right where whoever’s holding it will eventually feel it – as ‘burnout.’
Amidst the noisiness of this restless world, remember your beautiful design and pace yourself well. Don’t live to try to impress people or define your worth by the bpm of your life. Ultimately, you are the only one who is living that life.
That said, some earthly interruptions are heaven-sent invitations but if we’re ‘too busy’ to be available we could miss the assignment.
Little note shared with lots of love: this isn’t a debate or a competition over whose life is busier than whose, who has the most demands or time freedom or who can ‘afford’ to do this or that. It’s an observation from someone who knows how to work like a well-oiled machine but remembers I’m a living loved and free being. You are too.
So, what step or edits are you willing to take today to remind yourself that pace matters when it comes to your quality of life…and that you are meant for more than what you do?
Its Joy Within 