slowing down to win

Speed and victory are normally associated.  The faster car, the faster runner, the first one to respond correctly on the Jeopardy game show all are associated with winning.  But sometimes you have to slow down to win.  At the beginning of this year I set out to read through the Bible during the year.  The plan called for three chapters of reading daily and I tore into the plan with determination to continue and to finish.  Two things happened...occasionally I got off track and missed a few days and that discouraged me from continuing and when I did read I found myself constantly thinking about how much more I had to read to finish my daily assignment, rather than enjoying and meditating on the Word.  So I decided to slow down.  Now I read a chapter a day and will extend my finish line a few years.  I've found that by slowing down, I can relax and savor the one chapter I read each day.  If I miss a day, I don't beat myself up because I remember that the most important race has already been won for me.  Now I'm reading about how He ran and won the race for me.  I'm sure the earlier reading method is just fine for many people, but for me it has proven useful to "slow down so that I can win".   Jeremiah 2:25a "Slow down. Take a deep breath. What's the hurry?    Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway? blessings, Rob Smith