Thoughts from Deborah
I am pleased to offer a letter to your September newsletter.
One day a hare bragged about how fast he could run. A tortoise stretched and challenged him to a race, which, of course, made the hare laugh but he agreed! The forest animals met and mapped out the course then the race began. The hare, being the faster runner soon left the tortoise far behind. About halfway, looking back to where the tortoise was, it occurred to the hare that he had enough time to play in the meadow. Then, tired out with all his efforts he took a nap! The tortoise, in the meantime, continued to plod on, ever so slowly. He never stopped but just kept taking one step after another. The hare woke from his nap. "Time to get going," he thought. He ran as quickly as he could to the finish line but was surprised to be met by the tortoise, patiently awaiting his arrival and who declared, “Slow and steady is sometimes better than fast and flashy.”
In this story, the hare is so confident of winning that he even sleeps during the race and then, the tortoise, slowly and steadily, ends up winning. The point being made is that there is value and benefit in doing things in a slow, steady, and careful way.
Over the last 18 months, we have all been “running” a different kind of race in which we have been instructed to stay at home to keep ourselves safe from a coronavirus. Everything, including our churches were shut down overnight, yet many people found themselves being constantly urged to do more, make more, work longer hours, and achieve more with the time available to them, and even beyond that! However, being super busy and doing lots of things can prevent us from taking time to consider some of the important things of life, things that can only be examined when we pause to stop and think. Several people have told me that the weeks of lockdown enabled them to ponder the bigger things of life and especially, to consider the things of God and of faith; even, for some, being a time in which they have drawn closer to God and His love.
The beginning of September usually marks the beginning of a new Methodist year alongside a new academic year. This year, it marks another beginning. We are weighing things up, working out how we reopen our churches, what might God be asking us to leave behind and what is He calling us to? As we continue to adapt to life without enforced restrictions nevertheless, we are perhaps called to a prayerful and careful approach as we return to a whole new normal. Will we rush on like the hare? Or can we hear the wisdom of tortoise’s words - “Slow and steady wins the race!”
Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Rev Deborah Wainwright