Slow Me Down, Lord!

I love when I cross paths with kindred spirits in the unhurried life. I’ve been grateful to cross paths a number of times with such a fellow traveler in Wilkie Au. I’ve enjoyed reading his books, and Gem and I have had a few group dinners with Wilkie and his wife, Noreen.

I love this quotation from his little book The Enduring Heart. I think you will, too. I recommend taking your time with it. Savor it like a fine chocolate.

“We need, for the sake of our anxious selves, to make the prayer of the late Cardinal Cushing of Boston our own: ‘Slow me down, Lord! Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills…. Teach me the art of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pet a dog, to read a few lines from a good book. Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise, that I may know that the race is not always to the swift…that there is more to life than increasing its speed…. Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny. That I may find you, my God.”*

I love these helpful insights: 

• My racing heart can be eased by the quieting of my mind.
• My hurried pace is steadied with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
• I can slow down to do simple things like looking at a flower (Jesus suggested as much), talk with and listen well to a friend, or read (slowly) a few lines from a really good book.
• There really is more to life than acceleration. There is learning the art of living deep-rooted in what matters and lasts.

For Reflection

• What would it sound like to offer your own prayer for God’s slowing influence in your life? That might be worth a prayer or journal post.
• Is there one of the summary sentences above that sound especially timely or helpful?
• What if you made a note of it in your smartphone, or put it on a post-it on your bathroom mirror.

*Wilkie Au. The Enduring Heart. New York: Paulist Press, 2000, pp. 130-131.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash