Sometimes fast is slow, and sometimes, slow is fast…
I was listening to a work health and safety presentation the other day and the presenter used a paradox. A paradox is a figure of speech that looks like it will not make sense, but actually does make sense. It is something that appears to be wrong but is actually right.
An example of a paradox is to say that the child is the father of the man. While this might appear impossible, it is actually very true because the experiences that we have as children affect the sort of adult we become, and in this way the child really is the father of then man.
The paradox that this presenter used that day was when he said that sometimes, fast is slow. And sometimes slow is fast.
When he was speaking about this he was referring to rushing in the workplace. And what he was trying to say was that when a person is in a rush to get to a particular destination, they can become sloppy and make mistakes and get into accidents and dangerous situations which will actually slow them down and result in terrible delays and suffering in their daily lives. And what he was encouraging his audience to do was to slow down and take care. When people slow down they actually work faster because they are able to work more safely and prevent accidents and other incidents that could possibly result in accidents and this is a wonderful thing.
And I have been thinking about that paradox – that sometimes slow is fast – as I have been thinking about God. You see, sometimes God causes things to happen slowly so that they can go fast...
Before I met my husband, I thought that I had been single for a very long time. I could not understand why God would not bring my husband into my life so that I could meet the man I was supposed to marry. I felt a strong calling to motherhood, and I felt that it was incredibly frustrating to have to wait to meet someone with whom to share my life when I was all prepped and ready to go – so to speak.
When I was young, my grandmother always told me to enjoy my time in my parent’s home. And what she really meant was – slow down. Never again would I be able to live a life without worrying about money or work or children or a partner.
And all those years ago when I was waiting to meet my husband, I did not realise that sometimes slow is fast. And if I had not had all that time to wait and reflect and prepare and think, then perhaps I would not be equipped to handle this great sacrament of marriage. For it is a sacrament. And the Grace of this sacrament is at times the only thing holding our two souls together. For I truly believe that all the love and commitment in the world would not be enough to hold my sinful soul to his…
And so I take comfort in the Grace of my God today. For that Grace is the Glue holding us together…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
Comments