"Hasty Feet Miss the Way"
The voices compelling us into haste and hurry are pervasive and powerful. That's why downshifting has become a necessary spiritual discipline.
I am often tempted to jump-start my week on Mondays so that I can get ahead of the workload that’s coming down the pipe. In these moments, haste feels like the most productive posture I can take.
But this morning I came across this timely reminder from Tori Mae Hein that speaks to the truth that “hasty feet miss the way” (Proverbs 19:2).
”God did not create us physically or spiritually to live on constant adrenaline surges.”
“The pace of peace, of relationship, healing…is slow in nature. It’s faithful. It’s present. It’s steady.”
Tori’s post reminded me of a truth I was exposed to years ago through Stephen Covey: In the things that matter in life, slow is fast and fast is slow.
“Hasty feet miss the way.”
There are voices within us and around us that tempt and compel us into haste and hurry. Those voices can get very, very loud and persuasive. That’s why we need to adopt downshifting as a necessary spiritual discipline/practice.
I must force myself (and it really does feel forced and uncomfortable most days!) to slow down so that I can ground myself in God’s power and presence. Only then am I in an aligned position to confront, reject, and heal from the stress and psychological/spiritual cost of haste, hurry, and “busy.”
Coaching Questions:
If "hasty feet miss the way" (Proverbs 19:2), what practices could you implement to cultivate a slower, more deliberate pace in your daily life and work to foster deeper presence and connection?
Reflect on the idea of downshifting as a spiritual discipline. How can you integrate moments of deliberate deceleration into your weekly rhythms and routines?