Slow Walkers

READ: MATTHEW 11:28-30; 14:13-23; MARK 5:21-43

One of my biggest pet peeves is slow walkers. I remember in high school I would inwardly scream when I was caught behind someone dillydallying. And now, when I go to the grocery store, I weave my cart in and out of families on busy afternoon shopping trips. I drive over the speed limit. It never seems to matter that I get up hours before I need to leave for work or class—I’m always rushing out the door with my shoes untied and coffee spilling out of my mug.

But then I think, and I wonder: Was Jesus a slow walker? If I were lucky enough to be one of the disciples who lived with Jesus for three years, what would I learn about the pace of His life?

Everywhere Jesus went, He taught and healed and saved. Although His days were packed with action, Jesus allotted time for interruptions to His rhythms and routines. In Mark 5, a father named Jairus pleaded with Jesus to heal his dying daughter, and Jesus agreed to go with him. Now just consider Jairus’s panic and desperation, but also hope, as they made their way through town. This man was in a rush to get home. But then, Jesus just stopped, and said, “Who touched my clothes?” I imagine Jairus thinking, What does He mean ‘who touched me’? The crowd is all around Him! In the middle of Jairus’s darkest hour, Jesus stopped for a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. Then, Jairus found out that his daughter had died during Jesus’s short delay. The messengers said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher anymore?” (verse 35). But Jesus knew it wasn’t too late. He knew there was enough time for both the woman who was bleeding and for Jairus’s daughter. On that day, He healed them both.

Jesus was present. He was keenly aware of His surroundings, and He had compassion on those around Him. Jesus paused to listen to others’ needs and love them well. In the same way, Jesus is attentive to us, and He invites us to live and love like He does. When we slow down, we can begin to notice the Holy Spirit moving within and around us. Rather than always focusing on “the next thing,” we are invited to come and see what He is doing in the present moment.

So yes, I think Jesus was a slow walker…and I want to be one, too. • Zoe Brickner

• Do you know anyone who lives their life at a slower pace, making an effort to be attentive to the Holy Spirit and to the people around them? What is it like to be with them?

• Consider taking a moment to ask God to help you be more aware of His constant presence with you, and more responsive to His invitations to rest in Him and to love and serve those around you.

“For my [Jesus’s] yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30 (NIV)