“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:31-34 ESV).

Do you like to be constantly on the go, or do you prefer to take things slowly and see “where the wind takes you”? For me, I much prefer constantly being on the go and doing something – I have a hard time sitting still. What goes along with this, though, are also racing thoughts. My brain is always bouncing around dozens of thoughts and ideas, and sometimes it is hard for me to pause and take a moment to slow those thoughts down. 

What if there was a way to help slow the “Go, Go, Go!” down? What if there was a truth that we could hear that reassured us that it is okay to change the pace of our lives? 

Surprise! There is! The popular passage cited above in Matthew 6 is a reminder that it is okay to pause and breathe, even in the middle of our crazy lives. It may sound easy to say, “do not be anxious” (v. 31) or “slow down,” but we all know that is easier said than done. Jesus knows this, too, and gives readers a practical way to do this: “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (v. 33). When we seek the Lord and his kingdom, we are creating a new way of living that is slower and more meaningful. 

But how do we actually do this? To “seek” the kingdom of God, we will have to put actions into place. For some of us, this may be setting aside time to read our Bibles and then reflect on it. Or maybe in the middle of a busy day or work and errands, we pray in the car for a few minutes, even if that “puts us behind schedule.” Why? Well, nothing should be more important than spending time with the Lord and Creator of all!

Lord, help us this week to slow down and change our mindsets on how to live. Remind us that we are incredibly made and cared for, and that changing pace in our lives is an amazing thing when it is for your glory. Thank you for loving us unconditionally, and reminding us that the kingdom of God is here with us each and every day, we just have to choose to live into it. Amen.