Monthly Devotional
Godspeed to You this New Year
January 2009
I drove onto the highway with five-year-old Julia in the car seat behind me. Running a little late, my speed crept upwards. From the backseat, my preschooler noticed the world whizzing by.
"Mom, you're going too fast. Slow down." I knew she was right, but I was in a hurry.
"Julia, we're ok."
Julia waited and then tried another angle.
"Mom, how do you know how fast to go?" We had recently lost a beloved neighbor in a car accident on an icy road near our home, and two weeks later her uncle’s car flipped off the side of the road. She wasn’t convinced we were safe.
"There’s a speed limit," I answered.
"What's a speed limit?"
"A speed limit is a number you try to follow. If it's FIVE, then you don't want to go SIX." I looked down at the speedometer. I was over FIVE FIVE, but I needed to hurry back to Christine’s first-grade classroom to keep my volunteer commitment.
"How do you know how fast we are going?" Julia continued.
"There is a speedometer in the car. It tells Mommy the speed. It has lots of numbers on it."
"Well what's the speed limit? Are we going FIVE or are we going SIX?" "Actually, the speed limit is FIVE FIVE..."
"What are we going Mom? Huh?” she continued. “What are we going?"
"Well, maybe about SIX FIVE," I answered weakly.
"Mom, remember when you got the ticket?" Another new tactic.
Though I didn’t remember receiving a ticket with her in the car, apparently she did. Must have been memorable. I slowed the car; the backseat driver was wearing me down.
"Mom you can go SIX FIVE somewhere else,” my five-year-old conscience continued. "If you want to go SIX FIVE, you can if you find a place that says SIX FIVE. But you can't go SIX FIVE when the speed limit says FIVE FIVE. Just go FIVE FIVE where it says FIVE FIVE. "
I exited the highway.
"Hey, what's the speed limit here?" she asked, empowered with her knowledge. "It says TWO FIVE. Are we going TWO FIVE now, Mom?”
"Yes, Julia, " I sighed, “We're going TWO FIVE.”
I smiled on the inside. I didn't want to laugh because I knew she was right. She had worked on my conscience for five minutes and adjusted my speed.
As we begin our new year, it’s a good reminder to allow margin in our lives so we don’t have to exceed the speed limit on the highway or in our lives. Let’s slow down and allow time between events. Otherwise we’ll be missing life as it flies by our window. And sometimes, maybe our breakneck pace is doing exactly that: breaking our necks.
Five more years have whizzed by and Julia is now ten. Yet Julia continues to take life slowly and to savor quiet, reflective times. I wish I had slowed for more of life sooner. But this year, I plan to listen to Julia and experience 2009 at a slower, and more beautiful pace.
So when someone says, “Godspeed.” What is God’s speed for your life? With memories of Christmas still in our hearts, consider Mary who took the time to treasure and ponder the arrival of Jesus. Make 2009 a year to ponder and treasure. And in the true Spirit of Christmas or “Christ’s Mass,” look forward to the day of Jesus’ second coming. Now that’s a day we could “speed its coming.”
You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. (2Peter 3:11b-12a)
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)
Lord, you came to Bethlehem, you have come to our heart, and we look forward to when you come again. Help us to remember that you are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Creator of time. You know the number of our days. May we remember that each one of them is precious and to spend them so that you would be pleased. Let us leave a margin to treasure and ponder and be still with You.
Copyright Ann Stewart 2009 - All rights reserved.
Used by permission
No reprint without author’s permission
Please comment by contacting Ann. |
