Slow down

Slowing down is a term I am hearing a lot in my spirit these days. It seems as if this world has become so hurried that there is hardly time to breathe in the goodness around us. I recall a time when the streets rolled up on a Saturday evening, and the businesses closed early. Sunday mornings were spent in preparation for church, and a quiet day to worship the Lord.
After the morning services came afternoon picnics with Mom’s fried chicken and potato salad. Occasionally, we would go for evening walks and visit with the neighbors. Often, we found a favored spot to simply nap.
Our society has forgotten the art of slowing down. Somewhere in my brief 65 years, the streets stopped closing, and Sunday – the day that once anchored our week – was swept up into the current of busyness. As life sped up, so did our worries. The quiet rhythms of rest were replaced with noise and pressure. Family time grew thinner. The Sunday strolls faded, and with them, a little of that deep sense of belonging. Even our sense of self can feel scattered, as though we’ve forgotten who we are in all the movement.
It makes me think of two sisters – Mary and Martha – welcoming Jesus into their home. Martha was busy preparing things, working hard to make everything just right. Mary, meanwhile, sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to His every word. When Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to help, He gently corrected her. Martha wasn’t doing something wrong – just something at the wrong time. Mary had chosen the better part. She recognized the moment and slowed down to be with Jesus.
That choice still matters today. Long before Mary and Martha, God had already shown us the importance of rest.
After the six days of creation, God rested – not because He was tired, but because He was finished. In doing so, He gave us a gift and set a rhythm. And when He gave the Ten Commandments, one of them wasn’t about doing more – it was about doing less. “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it Holy.” Holy means “set apart.” The Sabbath is different. It is a day to rest, to remember, and to return to our Father.
The letters of the Apostle Paul echo the same truth. In his letter to the Romans, he calls us to resist the patterns of this busy world and be transformed by renewing our minds. That kind of renewal doesn’t happen in a rush. In Philippians, Paul reminds us that anxiety loses its grip when we bring our cares to God with thanksgiving and trust. Peace comes—not from doing more, but from being present with the One who gives rest.
Maybe it’s time we reclaimed what was lost. Not just a quieter Sunday but a day set apart. A time to remember who we are and, more importantly, whose we are.
We were not created to live in constant motion. God built rest into the rhythm of creation – not as an afterthought, but as a blessing. When we honor that rhythm, we keep in step with our Heavenly Father. So, this week, sit a little longer with your cup of coffee. Step outside and let the breeze remind you that the world spins just fine without your striving. Open your Bible, or simply close your eyes and whisper, “Here I am, Lord” and choose the better part of stillness.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” Romans 12:2.

Cheryl Mixon-Cruce is Pastor of Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church and Sopchoppy United Methodist Church.