Last month, Noelle and I went grocery shopping while waiting for Danae to finish her piano lesson. Because Las Piñas doesn’t use plastic anymore and I didn’t bring my own bag, I opted for a box. It was a big box. I was in a hurry, so I told the bagger that he didn’t need to tie up the box anymore since it was going straight from the cart to the car. He hesitated but agreed.
Not 3 seconds after he lifted the box, the bottom gave (apparently because it wasn’t “sealed”) and all its contents fell in the cart. He commented that he should have just tied the box. Poor guy was sweating from the pressure, but he was still kind to me.
I thought I was trying to help him (and myself) by suggesting what I thought was a quicker way, but boy, was I wrong. It took twice as long and it took twice the effort and stress.
Lesson learned? SLOW IS FAST. Short cuts in life most often result in more delays, more waiting, more setbacks. Quick and easy now doesn’t always benefit you in the long run. It may mean slow and difficult later. There is merit in being patient and being willing to go through certain processes. Basics, foundations, standard operating procedures may grow old on us at times, but they are for our own good.
So whether it’s discipleship, or growth and maturity, or starting a new job, or hoping for promotion, or learning something new, or processing papers, or mending a broken heart, or waiting for “the one,” or merely waiting for the bagger to pack our groceries, we need to remember that SLOW IS FAST. Instead of trusting in our own “brilliant ideas,” though sometimes they are truly brilliant and worth doing, and instead of pushing our own agendas, let’s trust more in the One who knows best. The One who supplies the grace we need. The One who has greater ability, clearer vision, and a better sense of timing than any of us do. 🙂
