I've never understood people who eat for utility's sake.
They boast how they'll eat anything and eat it fast because they don't enjoy eating.
What strange creatures.
They don't savor food because it becomes an end rather than a means to enjoyment, gratitude, and communion with God and others.
As much as I don't get that perspective, I do this with spiritual disciplines, and I bet you have too.
Rushed Disciplines
Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good..."
While we crack open our Bibles, pray on the run, or serve in our church or community, we often do this in a rushed fashion.
We're like the non-savory character above who eats for fuel and nothing else. We know we're supposed to do certain activities for God; so, we crank them out.
And if we're not careful, spiritual disciplines become an end rather than a means to enjoyment, gratitude, and communion with God and others.
Unrushed Disciplines
Adele Calhoun says it so well:
"Spiritual disciplines are ways we give our bodies to unhurried rhythms of grace. They are ways we unhurry our souls before God." - Adele Calhoun (Source)
Rushing through Bible reading, prayer, journaling, sabbath, the examen, lament, etc., to get to the next thing only adds to the frenetic pace of our lives.
Spiritual disciplines are a slow-mo moment to open ourselves up to a living encounter with God — to taste and see that He is good.
Savor the Lord
Next time you feel rushed to get through a spiritual discipline, remind yourself:
This time is a delight, not a duty.
This time is a means to enjoying and worshiping God, not an end in itself.
This time should slow my soul down, not speed it up.
Jesus wants you to enjoy His company. But you have to slow down to do it.
How will you slow down with Jesus today?
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