I have a disdain for being late. All of my family members are either on time or early to a function. A few can even be considered "too early." LOL. My parents taught us since we were young to be punctual and never be late. Our time is not more important than anyone else's, so be honorable by being punctual or early.
I tried to train my kids the same way. When they were younger, we discussed how to manage their time by calculating back from when they had to be somewhere, including travel time, getting ready time, etc. We had a decent rhythm for the most part. Then there were other times when I remember stating, "Hurry, Hurry, Hurry. We don't want to be late." There was always this mad rush to be on time. I would stare at the clock on my car dash like it would turn back time for me if I stared at it long enough. It wasn't like we would receive a medal for being on time, but arriving on the dot felt proper and respectful.
Sometimes, I carry the "Hurry, Hurry, Hurry" mentality to other parts of my life. I would urge my husband to speed up our conversation because I had other things on my "to-do" list. I would wave my hand in a spiral motion to encourage him to get to the point. I use the Waze app to find the least congested routes so that I would not sit in traffic, which is my least favorite thing to do. I try to multitask to save a minute here or there. Even though some research has shown that multitasking actually slows you down instead. Now that all three kids are involved in spring sports, some juggling is involved, which means time is calculated to the minute so we can engage and support their activity.
But God's most recent news flash was, "Your time is important, so slow down and spend more quality time with ME. Don't be so quick to check off the box, but spend REAL quality time. Don't rush to move on but linger in my presence. And I guarantee the more you linger with me, the more you will long for me."
It made me think of when I was dating my husband and how we would try to stretch our dates for as long as possible. We would talk on the phone throughout the night until we fell asleep. And when we finally woke up, we tried to talk some more. Or how we would drop by each other's places of work to see one another for 10-15 minutes during our work breaks. We definitely lingered in each other's company. ☺
I know that's what God desires from His children - fully engaged relationships.
Let's not be quick to move on to the next thing but stay with the Best thing.
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