麻豆约拍

A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Revd Catherine De Souza, Senior Leader of City Church in Cardiff.

Good morning.

I enjoy walking and regularly try to go for a stroll 鈥� but over time my walking speed has definitely changed. I remember some years ago being at a conference in Zambia and as I was striding to the conference venue a man saw me and asked me, 鈥淲here鈥檚 the fire?鈥�. Confused, I responded that there wasn鈥檛 any fire, to which he then followed up with, 鈥淲ell why are you walking so fast then?!鈥�. When my daughters were little, I soon learnt that my walking speed wasn鈥檛 going to work as they would regularly stop to look at flowers, point out discoveries, and collect whatever treasures they could find - whether sticks or pinecones or pebbles. Although the temptation to rush would sometimes pull at me, I learnt that I noticed and appreciated so much more on the journey going at my daughters鈥� pace.

In the Bible we can read about many of Jesus鈥� journeys: when he was walking between towns and villages; when he was on his way from place to place; and when he was travelling to visit people. But we don鈥檛 ever read about Jesus being in a rush, even though there are times that we might expect Jesus to be in a hurry, such as when he heard of his friend Lazarus being gravely ill. Jesus鈥� pace meant that he was able to notice people along the way, spend time talking with them and healing them. In fact, some incredible encounters with Jesus took place when he was on his way somewhere else.

Changing our pace and slowing down a little can make such a difference to what we see, who we are able to pay attention to, and what we can take the time to appreciate.

Lord, thank you that slowing down can give us opportunities to notice more. Help us to resist rushing and instead be encouraged to journey at your pace. Amen