Slow Down

Some days, the hours pass too quickly. Between ironing my husband's shirt before he runs out the door to work and preparing his dinner before he gets home, time slips away from me. And tomorrow's To-Do list grows longer as today's hours grow shorter.

Recently, my husband and I have been fixing up an old table. We've had to rebuild portions of the wood, sand layers of stain off, and remove years of dust--the layers of life--from it's cracks and crevices.

For the last 2 1/2 years, we have been using lawn furniture as our dining room/kitchen table. When we first started our marriage, we had bedroom furniture and a microwave that really never worked right to our name. Slowly, as the years have pressed on, God has filled our home to it's breaking point with all kinds of furniture and gadgets. But this table has always been a significant part of my kitchen. It's a reminder that we once lived off of love and nothing else. It holds the wonderful promise that God can build great things out of nothing.

One day soon, the table will make its way to the backyard where time and elements will slowly destroy it. And, eventually, we will have to part with the table where many conversations and meals--good ones and not-so-good ones--have taken place. It's use will diminish and it will no longer be the central portion of our home.

As I was outside sanding what will soon be our new table while the wind blew through the leafless trees, I was reminded that all things--people, possessions, and life--wear out over time. Sometimes, we need to slow down and enjoy the things that we may not wake up with tomorrow.

Slow down and see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

--Jessica