Stop

As I get older and my kids get older, I find myself thinking I need to slow down.

But the other day it struck me: most times, I don’t need to slow down. I need to stop altogether.

Think about driving past something on the side of the road. You slow down, crane your neck, try to see that sunset or red-tailed hawk.

But how often should we just pull over? Stop the car. Actually look.

We do this with our kids. We slow down our work to half-listen to their story, but we don’t stop working. We’re still typing, still scrolling, still mentally elsewhere.

We do this with God. We slow our morning routine to squeeze in a quick prayer, but we don’t actually stop. We’re already thinking about the first email, the first meeting, the first problem.

Slowing down feels productive. It feels like progress. But sometimes what we really need is to stop trying to do one thing while looking at another.

Just stop. Be present to the people around us. Be present to God.

Not slower. Stopped.