God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46

Devotion

A few years ago, I began to notice that I had (and sometimes still have) a bit of a hurry problem. Not just in the sense of hurrying on the road. I found myself rushing through the hallways on a Sunday, hurrying through conversations, through my Bible readings, through my tasks, or even my hobbies. I thought that somewhere, on the other side of whatever I am hurrying through, is the result or sense of accomplishment I am looking for. In reality, I left a wake of people feeling unheard and unseen, and tasks were not always completed to the standard they should be. I have always enjoyed restoring old furniture, so in an effort to combat this “hurry sickness,” I began to sand an old desk by hand. The sanding process took about four times longer than usual, but I learned what hurrying through life was causing me to miss out on.

Jesus, as always, is the perfect example to look at when talking about slowing down. In Mark 5, Jesus is on his way to heal a synagogue leader's daughter, when he is stopped because a woman touched his cloak. It would have been really easy for Jesus to keep moving through the crowd as quickly as possible—after all, a little girl was dying! That is a pretty good reason to be in a hurry. However, Jesus takes the time to stop and notice the woman who had been suffering for twelve years.

Noticing has two parts: it begins with seeing and moves toward listening. It means seeing someone in the moment, right where they are. Often, people aren’t going to tell you something is wrong—you have to notice it. Jesus could have kept going once he felt power leave him, but he chose to stop. Once we take notice, our natural response is to ask the next question: “What’s wrong?” And then we must listen.

“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost the same” - ( David Augsburger ).

Allowing people to be seen and then heard is helping them to feel loved. However, care doesn’t stop with seeing and hearing; it has to be paired with empathy, which is putting yourself in their shoes and recognizing how and why they might feel the way they feel. Jesus models this for us in John 11:35—the shortest verse in the Bible. It is two simple words, “Jesus wept.” This is found in the context of Lazarus’ death and soon resurrection. Even though Jesus knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, he was still deeply moved by the emotions of Mary and the mourners. In the full story in John 11, there are multiple moments where Jesus practices noticing and care as he empathizes with the mourners. He sees and hears Martha and Mary in their distress, and he is moved by their hurt to the point that he weeps with them. Jesus doesn’t brush off or disregard how they feel even though he knew Lazarus would soon be raised. Instead, Jesus validates their hurt through empathy.

When I finished the sixth round of hand sanding the desk, the finished product didn’t necessarily look any different than if I had used my orbital sander. I realized, though, that it isn’t always about the end result, but about the space in between. Slowing down is good for us, but it is also good for the people around us. Slowing down gives us the opportunity to notice what’s going on around us, to engage, and to care. What is most beautiful about this is Jesus does it for us first. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all of your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

PRAYER

Prayer Heavenly Father, in a world constantly trying to speed us up, help us to slow down. Help us take a few deep breaths and know that you are in control. Give us eyes to see the people around us as you do—and the courage to care for them as you do. Thank you for the perfect example we have in Jesus, and it is in his name we pray. Amen

Ryan Jackson
Pastor, Kids 56

Resources:

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