Every week at Shepherd’s Grove and Hour of Power, we recite the Creed of the Beloved, and within that declaration there are two very important lines: I don’t have to worry and I don’t have to hurry. These truths are vital to remember in a world that is totally stressed out. In fact, one of the biggest problems I see as I observe people today is that they don’t realize how worried and tense they are. As a society, we’ve adopted such a frantic pace that we don’t take time to ask ourselves how we are really doing. If we did, I think we would find that we are living with a lot of fear and concern and that our bodies are bearing the brunt of it. Though it’s easy to not take a message like this seriously, I believe that as Christians, we must. As I’ve said before, Jesus was relaxed. He was not worried because He knew the beginning from the end, and He was not hurried because He understood that His Heavenly Father ordered His steps. Likewise, since we are His children, we can learn from His example and align with His good purpose so we aren’t anxious or uptight about our future. We don’t need to rush hurriedly from one place to another; God’s got it, and He’s got us!

My friend, I encourage you to take this Sabbath day to truly slow down. Ask yourself how you are doing and invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you in the answer. Nothing good comes from being uptight and in a hurry, so invoke Jesus to still your anxious thoughts and relax your body so you can enter into His easy rhythms of grace. In that place, submit your emotions, fears, hopes, dreams, and disappointments to Him and allow Him to speak peace to your heart. Resolve to maintain a slower pace throughout the week in order to see beauty in the world around you and show compassion to every precious person you encounter.