Good morning…
Yesterday’s post took hours to develop. It took a long time before wise words from God trickled through one of you and into my inbox, wise words which then graced our morning message. Interestingly, God’s teaching on time continued as I went to my first meeting of the day. There I was confronted by the quiet reading of a quote exposing our quandary.
“In the spiritual life God chooses to try our patience first of all by His slowness,” a friend read aloud to our small group of spiritual directors words written by Fredrick Faber, an English hymn writer, theologian, and Catholic priest who lived from 1814 to 1863. “He is slow; we are swift and precipitate.” (Later I came home and googled the meaning of “precipitate” to unpack a new-to-me word. Acting suddenly or without careful consideration. Rash and rushed. Hasty and hurried. Yep. That describes us humans quite well, in whichever century we live.)
“It is because we are but for a time, and He has been for eternity,” the quote continued from a man who lived a short 49 years. “There is something overawing in the extreme slowness of God. Let it overshadow our souls, but let it not disquiet them. We must wait for God, long, meekly, in the wind and the wet, in the thunder and the lightening, in the cold and the dark. Wait, and He will come. He never comes to those who do not wait. He does not go their road.”
“When He comes, go with Him,” recommended Faber, “but go slowly, fall a little behind; when He quickens His pace, be sure of it, before you quicken yours. But when he slackens, slacken at once; and do not slow only, but silent, very silent, for He is God.”
As spiritual directors we are learning to walk in slow step with God as we walk in slow step with others, quickening when God quickens, slackening when God slackens. Silent, we listen silent, for God is our Creator and we are His guided creatures.
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3, NIV).
…Sue…
P.S. Thanks to Gina MacFarland, our talented web designer, for this hand painted image that lives on our suetoyou.com website.
