Slowing Down to Catch Up

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

- 2 Peter 3:8-9

"You can't catch me!" My client taunted me with his booming voice rippled with laughter across the pool, as swimmers effortlessly glided past him in parallel worlds.

 

I threatened to chase him down, another big-belly laugh and arms began flapping wildly, his ill-fitted lifejacket bobbing up and down with the current, while bumping apologetically into other swimmers in their well-ordered lanes. 

He must have progressed a few centimeters when I meandered up slowly to his side. His head popped up, "Hey! How did you get here?" We laughed and laughed and laughed.

Out of necessity, people with developmental disabilities encourage us to slow down. Sometimes, in fact, it doesn't feel like we're moving at all; but we are; as the subtly shifting ground on which we are standing - the continents moving beneath us slowly and imperceptibly.

While I judge the value of time by my own life span, God often moves slowly - taking a painstakingly long view of history - and so we wait, and sometimes keep on waiting; but God is willing to take His time with us, in His own way and His own timing - "slow" (by my uptight, impatient measurements) but altogether complete - because each soul is worth the eternal investment. While I claim to follow Jesus, I wonder if sometimes he's not trailing behind me crying out breathlessly "wait for me!", as I rush forward leaving him behind in the dust. 

The truth is, it's much more efficient for me to do things for the people I work with, and regrettably there are times when I succumb to the temptation of efficiency. Lately, I've been assisting our clients with woodworking and craft projects for an upcoming community auction. When I let go of control, get out of the way, and let them take ownership over their work, the result is never a picture-perfect postcard; but yielding one-of-a-kind imperfection, a wonder-invoking humanness emerging all of its own.

I'm always hesitant to let go and let them draw outside the lines, but life like art can't be reduced to connecting the dots, merely getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Somehow, I've missed the point in-between, and outside of the lines altogether. The people I work with may never be the most efficient and competitive, but they invite me to slow down long enough to be present, listen to the heart, and rest in God.

The next day this same client arrived hobbling in with his walker. He abruptly stopped when he saw me and quipped, "I can catch you, but you can't catch me!", grinning knowingly while shuffling along to his next appointment. A poignant parting line, though I'm sure we'll cross paths again, waiting on God with a spirit of expectancy, and a different way of looking at time.