In some cases, I would agree that faster is better. But, the commercial doesn't specify any circumstances. It just lays out the assertion that faster is better. Period. Here's my problem with that... We are constantly inundated with the message that we need to do more, more, more. At work, we have to be more productive. At home, we have to do more with our kids. At school, every moment has to be jam packed with learning. The only way to do more is to be faster. We are constantly pushed to go, go, go.
We try to dress it up just to make it sound better. Kids need to be involved in more activities so that they are more well-rounded. Technology makes us more efficient so that we can accomplish more in the same amount of time. Multitasking is an art that only the most fortunate are able to perfect. People who are constantly working and driving themselves and their kids to do more are go-getters. They are driven. They are motivated. They are striving for success. We are supposed to model our own lives after them.
All of that leads to the results of living in the fast lane, filling every moment with an attempt to do more, to be more, to accomplish more. If you don't fill every millisecond of your life with something, then you are lazy, unmotivated, and your kids are missing out.
Personally, I think that this is one major area where we get it all wrong. And, I say "we" because I'm just as guilty as the next guy. My whole life I have said that I'm not happy unless I'm going 90 to nothing. But, lately I have been making conscious efforts to change that.
The first change I made a while back was to spend time every with God. For a long time, I've had a Bible app on my phone that gives me a daily verse. I would read it most days, but that was it. Now, that's just my starting point. I read the verse, but then I read the whole chapter that the verse is in. After I've read it a couple times, I read it again with the notes that go with it in my study Bible. I really try to listen for the message God wants me to get out of it. Finally, I spend some time praying, but more importantly, listening to God. It's amazing what a difference it makes when I slow down and start my day off with this devotional time! I am more patient, less frazzled, and just in a better mood overall. When I just jump out of bed and hit the ground running, I'm a frantic mess all day!
Every time I see the AT&T commercial about faster being better, all I can think is, "Be still and know that I am God." This verse can be found in Psalm 46:10, and I catch myself reciting it multiple times every day. It is such a good reminder of what God wants for us! Of course we have to work. Of course we need to spend time with our kids. Of course we have to cook and clean and do laundry. But, I think it's really important to find balance. We need to balance the fast and the slow. We need to give ourselves permission to put on the brakes and really enjoy life. We need to make sure we don't take on so much that it becomes impossible to do so. We need to make sure that time with God is a priority, not an option that becomes the first thing we skip over because everything else dominates our time.
In some cases, AT&T is right: Faster is better. But, in life... I just don't think so. Slow it down, keep your priorities in check, and enjoy all the ways God blesses you every day! Our kids are watching us and learning how to live life from what they see us do. What are you teaching???
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