live Godspeed
what if, to catch up with God, we had to slow down?
Today marks four weeks of living in our new town, Salida, Colorado. It is no exaggeration to say I am overwhelmed by the goodness of God in bringing us to this place. Every day is shot through with deep gratefulness for his kindness. I just couldn’t be happier, for so many reasons.
Among the many things I’m learning about this place is this somewhat unimportant fact, that at the same time tells an important part of the story of this place. Namely, the speed limit of 25 mph all across town.
I’m surprised I’ve not yet received a ticket, because my default in a residential area is 35mph. And almost every time I depart our home I automatically get up to that habitual cruising speed, only to immediately hit the brakes, remembering I’m 10 mph over the limit.
I was telling this to a new friend the other day, and he shared with me a story of first coming to Salida. I believe he said it was one evening he was out, and also got up to a residential cruising speed of about 35 mph. Well, soon enough, he saw lights in his rearview mirror, and was pulled over. In talking with the local sheriff who had stopped him, he shared that he was new. And this veteran officer decided that a warning would be fine, with this bit of advice,
Son, things move slower around here.
Huh.
One of the things that attracted us to this place was the pace of life we’ve sensed in our valley over the years of visiting here each summer. But the same friend who shared this story has also shared this wisdom with me: “You can get just as busy in Salida as you can anywhere else.”
I’ve grown up in a generation that is always on the move, in a culture that values speed and immediacy, busyness and full schedules, constant access, making things happen, and getting things done. As Zack Eswine says, we are obsessed with being everywhere at once, knowing it all, and fixing it all…quickly.
Haste is the air we breathe.
And I have come to this place not wanting to live that way anymore. I’ve seen what it can do to the human soul, to my soul, to a people who is always pushing for more and craving more and wanting it…quickly.
What if there was a different way? What if we all just slowed down? What if we were patient with ourselves, and with each other? What if that part of the fruit of the Spirit—patience—was allowed to work itself out as the pathway to the rest of the fruit Jesus intends for us to taste and enjoy?
A few months ago, in our time of transition, I was introduced to a documentary called Live Godspeed. It’s only 38 minutes, but it’s life-altering, if you let it be. I’ve watched it three times. It describes a vision I’m aiming for as a pastor, and a human. It’s the story of another pastor named Matt Canlis, a fast-moving American who gets taught a thing or two by some small-town Scots in the UK. I can’t recommend it highly enough to you. You can watch it for free here.
At one point in the film, N.T. Wright says this:
“Some years ago someone wrote a book called 3 mph God, describing Jesus, because basically most people walk about 3mph. The thought of moving at only 3mph fills us with horror now.
But what if we did this? Can you imagine how much more we would see? Is the problem maybe that we want God to go 60mph? But didn’t he walk at about 3mph around Palestine?
What if—to catch up with God—we had to slow down?”
That sentence pole-axed me.
What if?
What might it look to “live Godspeed”?
Eugene Peterson, in the same film, reflected on this:
“Maybe the slowing down just has more to do with a habit of being there…you can’t just rush through life. One of the things technology makes it difficult for us to do is there’s so much quick information. And if you don’t get quick information…well, forget about it, somebody else will have to figure it out. But nobody’s going to figure out a person quickly.”
That “person” includes you, dear reader. You can’t figure out yourself quickly. You need time in your life to be truly human. Time to consider who you are, and who God is calling you to be, and the person he wants to shape you into, before you think about what it is you are supposed to do. You need space to rethink the very deepest parts of you, because you are a complicated being, and no one changes quickly.
Least of all us.
God is patient.
Slow down.
Give it time.
Live Godspeed.
If you’d like to hear this worked out a little more thoroughly, and how God means to bless you on the slow path to growth, you could check out my sermon from this past Sunday HERE.
God bless you, dear reader. I’m praying you’ll be patient with yourself and those around you today.
Warmly,
Pastor Matthew
