Victorious Journey with Coach Bre

Slow Down

by Brenna J. Fields

I am currently in a season of life that is extremely busy.  Since January, I have been “head down” in working on my businesses, promoting my book, working in the community, serving in church, and oh yeah, showing up for work every day!  And at the same time, I’m trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle (some weeks I do well, and some week – like this week — I miss it).  But yesterday, something happened that reminded me to slow down.

I was going to the grocery store to get what I needed for the upcoming week (for those of us from New Orleans, we call that “making groceries”).  I parked my car and was walking toward the entrance of the store I noticed there were several people just standing around the parking lot, not doing anything (or so it seemed).  I was almost at the entrance and something said, “stop and turn around.”  I did and discovered why people were standing in the parking lot.  There was a group of about 5 ducklings trying to jump up on a curb so they could catch up with their mother. They were tiny little things, much shorter than the curb, and they were struggling to step up.  They jumped and missed, they tried again and again, and one by one, each of them made it!  The shoppers observing this all said “aww” in unison as the ducklings waddled away to be with their mother.  It was the most precious sight, and I almost missed it because I was in a hurry to make my groceries so I could move on to the next thing on my list.

I almost missed God’s creation at work.  I almost missed the kindness of strangers as they watched out for the ducklings in this busy parking lot.  I almost missed that moment in time that can never been recaptured.

Yes, life can be very busy.  But even in our busy seasons (and yes, they are just seasons), it’s important to slow down.  Life is going on around us, and if we are not careful, we may miss something that can be a blessing to us.  Take a moment to enjoy nature, say a kind word to someone, or enjoy a good meal (and actually taste your food!).  These are small things that can change the course of our day and can remind us of the fact that there are kind people in the world (some days it’s hard to tell) and that God is good.

Take a moment today and slow down.  You’ll be glad you did.