Is Your Life Moving Too Fast, Or Not Fast Enough?

Today I learned.......

I woke up today, and honestly, I had no plans of getting out of bed. I mean, I got up and did all the necessary things. I got ready, I ate breakfast, and I fed the dogs. I handled the whole routine. But feeling a little weathered, I thought I would just take it easy.

My entire schedule for the day was built around an intention to simply "be still" at home: a quiet day picking up and cleaning up here and there as the hours crawled along. I was in a season that called for rest and contemplation, seeking an unrushed space for reflection. Yet, despite my intentions, I still felt a gentle, vague hope of something more for the day—the same wish that had sat idle for the last three days.

Quietness can be a trick.

 It pretends to be rest, but sometimes, it’s really just absence.

It’s the space where life doesn't happen.

I know the verse that grounds my quiet season:

Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God." 

And right on time, my daughter-in-law's text popped up: "What are you doing today? Busy?"

And of course, I most definitely was not.

My daughter-in-law is such a spirited young woman. She just loves to celebrate life—really just seize it by the collar. She has this knack for making even the smallest moments special. She’ll celebrate anything and everything: her dog's birthday, her husband coming home from a long week, and especially that new baby and his every milestone.

So today, she wanted to make a pumpkin canvas using her son's butt cheeks as the outline, and I was all in for this. We took the baby and painted his little bottom orange to create a memory that absolutely fits her spirited style. Then, gently, through the giggles, she touched his perfect, round little orange cheeks to the canvas—and just like that, we had a pumpkin outline made of pure, hilarious joy.

It was adorable, the whole thing. I love watching her creativity come alive! We had some good laughs. We just went with the flow. No directions, just an idea seen on a piece of paper. Just as we pressed the little guy's cheeks onto the canvas, my husband walked right through the door. That just made us laugh even harder.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Even the dog got in on the action, running around with a tiny streak of orange paint by her ear. Don't worry, it was all washable paint—just pure, messy fun. I just love watching her celebrate others, appreciate the small moments, and revel in life in general. It’s what I admire most. What she does is so honest. It’s kind and pure. You can tell it comes from a real place within. And I love that she just does it, no matter what another person might think. There's a lot of freedom in that.

When I watch her, I find myself thinking that if I hadn't spent most of my life in survival mode, I think I would have been just like that. Because there truly is nothing more beautiful than family. To honor our children and loved ones is, to me, a holy and godly thing. I did my best with what I had, of course. But if money hadn't been an issue, or if life hadn't been lived so intensely, moment by moment, I know I would have been like her in that beautiful way of celebrating. When I see her, I don't just see my daughter-in-law; I see perhaps a shadow of me.

I'm glad I didn't miss the laughter, the surprise of my husband walking through the door, and even the funny smear of orange paint on the dog's ear, or holding my grandson while his mom added the green stems to her pumpkin canvas. I would have missed the honest girl talk—the shared secrets so vital to every woman. That space to confide in someone who gives you strength, affirmation, and truth. That place where we know we are truly safe. I am blessed to have a family that gives all that to you, at different times, in their own ways.

Proverbs 17:17: "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity."

What I learned is that the most beautiful, messy, unforgettable moments of our lives are often hidden just on the other side of an ordinary day. They don't wait for us to feel perfect or ready. They just wait for us to show up. That's the choice we make every single morning. Are we going to let the door close quietly, or are we going to burst through it and get a little orange paint on us? We have to be willing to get messy to get the memory. What I learned is that the abundance we seek isn't found in a grand plan; it's right there in the messy, showing-up moments that break the silence. It's showing up for the human connection that makes life truly worth living.

And while my day wasn't heading toward the chaos of a busy schedule, I realized the opposite extreme is just as dangerous....What about those who are too busy to even say "Hi," too busy to respond to a simple text, too busy to remember who is truly important in their life? That hyper-speed pace creates a life where you miss all the funny, messy beauty—the stuff that actually gives life its flavor. Over-worked, over-scheduled- missing precious moments wrapped in a calmer, heartfelt day.

The busyness can be a trap. 

It pretends to be purpose, but it’s really just distraction.

It’s the noise where true life is drowned out.

It reminds me of the biblical story cautioning against allowing activity to override presence, captured in the story of Mary and Martha. The busyness Jesus was cautioning against isn't about productivity; it's about disordered priority. He wasn't dismissing Martha's service, but revealing how her frantic preparations became a source of anxiety and division, causing her to miss the divine moment standing right in front of her.

Jesus was pointing to the tendency to let "many things" distract us from the "one thing" that truly matters: connection and devotion. He was revealing that external toil can become a trap, making us "worried and upset about many things." In that moment of frenzy, we lose sight of the essential choice, which is always to choose the better, enduring portion.

As the scripture powerfully states:

"But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made... The Lord answered, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'" (Luke 10:40–42 NIV, emphasis added)

And that is the essential lesson for us all: whether we are moving too slow and sinking into a passive quietness, or rushing too fast in a hyper-scheduled frenzy, the consequence is identical. Both speed and stillness become traps that make us miss the actual moment. The solution isn't to find a perfect pace, but to deliberately break our own momentum, slowing down just enough to be fully present. We must choose to catch the unexpected joy and, by doing so, remind ourselves that the relationships in our lives are the only treasure that will ever truly count.

This warning is the same fierce challenge found in Paul’s letter, demanding an intentionality that cuts through both busy chaos and dull quietness. It’s a direct call to radical vigilance over our time:

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15–16 NIV)

The wisdom is simple: whether we face a day of crushing errands or crushing stillness, we are commanded to seize the moment, because our time is not endless, and the most vital opportunities—for connection, for laughter, for love—are fleeting. We cannot afford to squander them on the things that do not truly count.

#JoyfulLiving, #FriendshipGoals, #BePresent, #SlowDown, #MakingMemories, #FamilyTime, #UnexpectedJoy, #FaithOverFrenzy, #LifeLessons, #ChooseConnection, #GodsGrace, #HappyAccidents, #MomLife, #PurposeOverBusyness, #ShowUp

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