One of the things pregnancy has forced me to (grudgingly) do is slow down. I'm a Type-A go-getter. You rarely find me without a cup of coffee, a bulleted to-do list, and a calendar close by. I am not just good at executing - I LOVE it - and with my organizational skills, I can accomplish giant to-do lists in a single bound, then look around for more.
Until pregnancy, that is. My body simply said "No", leaving me without the physical and mental capacity I'd enjoyed for the first 31 years of my life.
The funny thing is, I've been wanting to learn to move more slowly since well before getting pregnant. We live in a culture of "hurry" "busy" and "now", and as a successful member of that culture, I had embraced being constantly busy and perpetually in a hurry so I could accomplish and obtain whatever I wanted in the moment. Ooph. I get tired just typing it.
But the funny thing is, Jesus' lifestyle - one I aspire to - was never one of hurry. We see Him waiting 30 years to begin performing miracles, when He could have performed them at any time during those 30 years. We see Him slow down to spend time having meals with people, walking with His disciples, and pausing for times of solitude and prayer. He never hurried.
And you know what, Reader? I love the words that are associated with Him and His lifestyle of slow. Patient. Kind. Gentle. Honest. Strong. Loving. Invested. These are words that fit with Him, and words I desperately want to describe me.
With pregnancy, I've had to be more intentional about prioritizing and planning activities, because I only have so much to give each day before my physical cup runs dry. I have to choose between making it to one more store or being ready to invest in my husband when he gets home. Between cleaning all 4 bathrooms or a coffee date with a girl friend. Between a walk with the dogs or a walk through Target. I have to choose where my time and energy belong. And while the slowness still frustrates me more often than not, I want to learn to embrace letting go of the busy and being more invested in the present.
Because, at the end of the day, it's those moments that matter.
