1 Corinthians 14:4-5a (NLT) Love is patient and kind. Love
is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way.
I ran into my new friend, 89 year old Martha Grace at the
ball fields yesterday morning. We were
walking in opposite directions so I turned around to walk with her. She urged me to go on, she didn’t want to
slow me down but I stayed with her. She
stopped several times to let her ankle rest but really did well. I didn’t mind adjusting my pace in order to
enjoy her company. After we parted I ran a ways with another friend. He’s training for a marathon and in order to
talk to him I had to match his pace. On
the way home I came upon my most regular walking partner, Pascal. When we walk our pace is dictated by Hank,
his little black Chihuahua---or rather by Hank’s nose and his desire to mark
everything! While it would be more
efficient for me to just power walk my four miles, it’s a matter of
consideration for others that makes it ok to adjust my pace to theirs. That happens in many ways in life. When we’re with a mentally challenged person,
we naturally adjust our pace of conversation.
It’s a little more difficult when a friend or family member becomes slow
of mind due to dementia, senility or Alzheimer’s because we’re not used to that
slower pace with them. When friends get
married and we’re single or vice verse or they have their first child, the pace
of our relationship changes. Sometimes
in life we get to set the pace and sometimes we must adjust our pace to someone
else’s. Spiritually we want to adjust
our pace to Jesus. He never powered by
people. He felt the touch on his robe,
saw the blind beggar by the roadside and the inquisitive person in the
tree. He wasn’t too busy or
self-important to turn little children away.
As the old hymn goes, O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee.
Holy God, thanks for all the people in our lives. Help us to
not be so impatient and hurried that we fail to take time to be with them. Help us to slow down and notice those who
might need an encouraging word or helping hand.
We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Have
a blessed day!Paige
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