Slow But Sure
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
I really hate the phrase, “Slow but sure.” Yet, it has been the story of my life. Perhaps my mother read me the story of “The Tortoise and the Hare,” too many times. In high school I ran Cross-Country. No matter how fast a Cross-Country runner runs, we still look slow next to a sprinter. A Cross-Country runner doesn’t struggle with the pain of miles of pounding on the legs and hips as much as the Cross-Country runner struggles with challenge of keeping the mind focused beyond the pain and in a zone that focuses on things other than the boredom and pain.
I made the decision to go directly from high school, to college, to my master’s degree in seminary. After a year-and-a-half, I was back to school for another four years, completing my doctorate. Without joking, I believe I was able to survive all those years of school because I was used to running long distances and learned to focus for long periods, with a willingness to sacrifice for a future of breaking the tape.
“Slow but sure” has beneficial effects. The best thing an early 20-something-year-old can do is put money away each month toward retirement. The interest accrued over 40 years is huge. Waiting until you are 56 years old to begin saving for retirement is nearly impossible. The same is true with romantic relationships. Some people are sprinters in their relationships. They are passionate and romantic, totally focused on the other person, for a time – until, they find the next person, who is new and shiny, and they race after the new person – until the next person looks shinier. A relationship that is “slow but sure,” ages like a fine wine, and matures into something deep and blessed. You cannot get to something deep as a sprinter.
Today, ponder the “slow but sure” in your life. Do you run distance, or are you a sprinter? Are you capable of focusing for the long-haul? I know a lot of people who are sprinters in their spiritual life as well. They flit from one spirituality to another, never really committing to anything. A meaningful and beneficial spirituality is one where you give your life to it. Like a marriage, if you keep sprinting to the next shiny, popular spirituality, you will never find depth and maturity. Pray today for the people and things you are into for the long-haul. Ask God to give you the maturity to run the long race of faith. (If you were a high school or college sprinter, eat my spikes! Distance runners and sprinters have never gotten along!)
