When I think about it, I have three (I think) speeds. And by speed, I mean by moving around, but also in my approach to things. Cars used to have three speeds, bicycles had three speeds, and I guess I do too.

 Now, in a car or a bike, the three speeds are slow, medium, and fast.  I think of my speeds as a little different.  The first one is “relaxed.”  These are the strolls watching the dog run around off leash.  Relaxed is sitting on the front porch with your grandpa, rocking away the afternoon just because you can, enjoying the company.

The next speed I would call “intentional.”  Now, it’s not called a stroll.  This is the speed that I go when walking by myself.  Now the number of steps recorded on the Fitbit matter, and the amount of time it takes matters.  “Intentional” is the speed of the conversation you have with the check-out person, or customer service (after waiting 16 hours for them to pick up.)  Intentional is the speed you use writing a business email, not a love letter.

And then there’s the speed I call “Costco.”  Have you seen this speed? If you belong to any of the insanely big warehouse clubs, you may have noticed that they trigger some kind of noticeable acceleration in people. Not everybody. You may not be one of these people. I offer more of a confession than anything else here: I am one of them. I see it in myself and am not proud of this speed. I confess this problem to you. The impatience starts out on the street because you must start looking at the line for gas while you are still on the street. You muscle your way to the shortest line of cars to get that elusive (inevitably middle) pump opening. Then you race to any open parking space to go inside. You do the Costco sprint to the collection of grocery carts, and that’s when the Costco bumper-car race starts. Oh, the slow people in the aisles! You have things to get, so get out of the way! And then, the same hunt for the shortest line at the gas pumps starts again for check-out, and then the final Costco dash to get past the people that stripe your receipt. And the diehards finish well with a dash to the car.

You may not have three speeds. You may not have these specific three speeds. But here’s my question. At what speed do you come to church? Are we sprinting in, sprinting out? What are our conversations like – with fellow believers and with the Lord? If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard someone say, “let’s say a quick prayer,” I’d be rich by now. I’m afraid that few are the prayers that I say which happen at the “relaxed” setting. Usually not “Costco” either. But God has all day. God has all year. God has eternity, and He’d love to sit on the porch and rock some time away with you on one of those Cracker Barrel rocking chairs. Do we have time to be relaxed with God?

Remarkable things happen when you just sit still for a bit. Out in the woods you start noticing animals. You feel the breeze. On a front porch you share more deeply. In prayer you remember others. In your own thoughts, God speaks.

Linger here today. God’s patting the chair inviting you to sit. There’s a lot to talk about. And to praise Him for. And things to ask.

Taking a breath,

Craig

We’re in no hurry, God. We’re content to linger in the path sign-posted with your decisions. Who you are and what you’ve done are all we’ll ever want. Isaiah 26:8 (The Message version)

What makes you smile?  A joke, a child, a scrumptious meal?  Maybe something interesting or new on the news?  Hearing about a bear hibernating in a house’s crawlspace this week made me smile, and cringe all at the same time.  Watching a diminutive muntjac deer face off with a gentile rhino made me smile – you may have seen these videos.  And car stuff makes me smile.  I read this week about an SUV with 1400 horsepower.  It can do 0-60 mph faster than a rumor sprinting through a small town.  And particularly funny this week was when I read about a guy who repeatedly breaks records of a human travelling in a trash can.  Yes, a trash can.  Current record?  65 mph.  Isn’t that something you wish you could do?  If the garbage can would do that down my driveway on its own accord, that would truly make me smile!

I think we need to smile more.  I know so.  Listen to what the Bible says:

A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.

There are times when our hearts are full of sorrow.  And should be.  We lose a loved one, or a job, or our health.  And the Bible teaches us to mourn with those that mourn.  I’m not suggesting we ignore reality.  But this world does offer a lot to smile about.  And as Christians we have plenty to smile about – we have an eternity to smile about!

The above verse from Proverbs 15:13 says that a smile comes from a glad heart.  We can fake a smile, and sometimes we must, but a genuine smile comes from a glad heart.  What is in our heart?  If Jesus, if His Holy Spirit, fills our hearts, and not worry or a steady diet of angry news on TV, then we will smile.  We will be happy.

The next verse in Proverbs 15 says:

The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

I’m not sure about all that verse means, but it does say to me that our hearts are nourished by what we put into our heads.  And when we feed our minds folly (there I read useless and maybe even harmful stuff), we end up with hearts that don’t make us happy.

The last verse of this section says:

All the days of the afflicted are evil, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Being cheerful feeds itself apparently.  A virtuous cycle is created when we feed on good things, and the good things make us smile, which makes us want to consume more good and helpful knowledge which makes us happy, which makes us wan…. You get the point.

I am pursuing happiness today.  It’s why I am in church.  I come to please the Lord, yes.  But the idea that God might be pleased with my praise and my worship makes me smile.  Which makes the Lord smile, which makes me smile, which…  Oh, here we go again!

Glad to be in church,

Craig

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.  Psalm 122:1