The Spiritual Art of Slowing Down
Back in middle school, my friend Chip Morris and I became absolutely convinced our lives would vastly improve if we owned a CB radio. Remember those? It’s like a walkie-talkie, but bigger, clunkier, and you got to hear every trucker’s random conversations. Not exactly TikTok-level excitement, but at the time it seemed essential. So, we hustled—mowing lawns, washing cars, walking dogs—until we finally scraped together $99 for the holy grail at Radio Shack. And you know what happened? Absolutely nothing. It turned out no other kids had one, which basically left me and Chip awkwardly broadcasting into the void. One month later, our "life-changing" CB radio found its forever home—in a junk drawer.
Can you think back to the epic battles from your high school days? Or even just five years ago? I can vividly remember how some of those arguments felt so critical. If someone gave your crush one glance too many or wore the wrong jeans, it escalated to a DEFCON-1 level drama. Now? I couldn’t recall those details if you paid me good money. It’s funny, isn't it? It makes me wonder: Could the thing that's making me lose sleep today become the thing I laugh about tomorrow?
Psychologist Daniel Kahneman nailed this perfectly in his book "Thinking, Fast and Slow": "Nothing in life is as important as you think it is while you are thinking about it." He calls this phenomenon the "focusing illusion." It means whatever you’re hyper-focused on right now seems incredibly urgent—but might not matter nearly as much tomorrow.
This wisdom plays out beautifully in the biblical story of Abigail in 1 Samuel 25. David, future king of Israel, nearly blows it all over an insult from some random guy named Nabal. David's knee-jerk reaction? "Let's storm in and wipe them all out!" Thankfully, Abigail steps in, hits pause, and gently reminds David to zoom out and consider the bigger picture—his legacy, his reputation, his future.
So here's a provocative question for all of us: What if the most spiritual action you can take today is to simply pause? Before hitting send on that fiery text, pause. Before posting that rant to social media, pause. Before torching bridges in the heat of anger, pause. Because your future—the story you'll tell tomorrow—is infinitely more important than the emotion you're caught in today.
Take Abigail's advice: Pause, step back, and choose a response you'll proudly stand behind tomorrow.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in worship this weekend.
Grace & Peace,
Nathan Lawson