“Slow down. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway? But you say, ‘I can’t help it. I’m addicted to alien gods. I can’t quit.’ ” Jeremiah 2:25

 

 

I’ve always had a certain fascination with bees, how they charge about like roaring winged lions with golden manes and a nearly addictive focus on discovering new sources of pollen to gather and take back to their hive. If there were an illustration of productivity for high achievers, this might be it. And talk about a purpose larger than yourself: while the bees go about their business of making a life for themselves and their future generations, they perform an amazing service to us by pollinating the creations that sustain us with food and life itself.

 

I noticed too, how during the heat of the day it was immensely difficult to follow a single bee. They were just too busy, energized by the heat of the sun. But I learned that if you observed them as the afternoon breezes cooled, they slowed down, just long enough for me to grab a photo like this one as they rested on my Sedum plants.

 

The prophet Jeremiah warned the people of his day to slow down. They were working themselves into a frenzy, searching after ‘alien gods.’ “I can’t quit,” they lamented. Have you ever felt like that? Like you are spinning out of control on some cosmic merry-go-round and can’t stop? Like what you are chasing with such ambition and passion isn’t even the “real thing” but rather something alien to what you were meant to be pursuing?

 

There is good news to heed: Slow down. Take time to look beyond yourself. Pause for a moment to reflect on what you are chasing and ask yourself if it is really worth it. There’s nothing wrong with making a living but it is so much more important to make a life!  Plan some times during the day to slow down and take a deep breath. Stop wearing yourself out for something that doesn’t fulfill. Just because you can measure a goal doesn’t make it worth pursuing. Instead of pursuing alien gods, stop and look on the One and Only True God who never changes and never wears out. Slow down long enough to grab the vision He has for you and for your life. Breathe deeply the breath of life He freely gives to you even in the busyness of your day.

 

“Slow down. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?” Jeremiah 2:25