Rachel Whisman

Reflecting on the previous year is something I enjoy doing. Scrolling back through the photos I captured reminds me of God’s faithfulness and steadfast love, as seen in the friendships formed, adventures pursued, and memories to cherish with loved ones. Stopping provides a time to evaluate and assess the priorities in my life. Pausing also made me realize the intense pace I had been living in. 

While I was reading Ephesians, I was struck by the pace and action Paul commanded the Ephesians to live by. He told them not to run, sprint, or jog, but to walk. It is repeated throughout the epistle, “walk in a manner worthy, “walk as children of the light,” “you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do,” “Look carefully then how you walk” (Eph. 2:10, 4:1, 4:17, 5:8). Pair that with what Jesus preached in John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me,” and the resounding thought and theme “Rachel, slow…down…stop being in a hurry” reverberated in my heart. 

I see this dynamic of God working and us responding illustrated well in the movie Cars (enjoy the childhood nostalgia). When the main character, Lightning McQueen, a racecar, is forced to repave a busted-up road, and is hooked onto the asphalt paver. This machine requires him to slow down because it will take hours to complete. Instead of exercising self-control and meekness and trusting the timing of the paver, he exercises his brute strength. He rushed through the process and left behind a bumpy, rigid, unbearable road for others and himself to drive on.

When I look back over the year, there are areas of my life where I saw myself in that picture. Restless, discontent, and ready for change. Instead of surrendering to the Lord and His wisdom, I sped up and enjoyed the thrill instead of slowing down and walking with God. We don’t fulfill God’s will for us, which is our sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3), by trying to outpace the one who will change us to become more like Him. We must heed, submit, and draw near to Him. He is what changes us. There is a time for every season (Ecc. 3:1-8) because life is not always at the same pace. However, our dependency on Him in each of them should be what fuels us, rather than our attempt at self-reliance.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3