In today’s fast-paced world, it’s so easy to get caught up in day-to-day responsibilities and technology. If you don’t have something you need to be doing now, you’re thinking about something you could be doing in five minutes. If you don’t have anything planned for tomorrow, you’re thinking about ways you can best fill your time. If you find yourself with free time, you end up scanning emails, going through social media or watching YouTube.
While there’s nothing wrong with productivity or technology, both can run you into the ground before you even know what’s happening. For believers, the good news is that God will send you signs along the way. The bad news is, they’re easy to miss. Read on for signs God wants you to take a breath, stop what you’re doing and pay attention to the things that matter most.
Your Speed Hurts You and Your Relationships
It’s normal for people to experience busyness every once in a while. In fact, some people go through defined busy periods that are often followed by slow periods. For these people, busyness is a welcome occurrence. However, if your busy period is never-ending, and if it’s more draining than welcoming, it may be time to slow down. This is especially true if your busyness interferes with your mental and physical health and relationships.
Many people are familiar with the famous Bible verse Mark 12:31, which says to love your neighbor as you would yourself. However, some are not as familiar with the fact that the verse also instructs followers to treat themselves as they would treat others. Another verse with which others are unfamiliar is Proverbs 4:23, which states that you should guard your heart above all else, as everything flows from it. Both Mark 12:31 and Proverbs 4:23 indicate that if you don’t treat yourself with love and respect, you cannot adequately do the same for others.
If you are too busy to lead a healthy life for yourself, you are surely too busy to really love and respect others. If this is the case, it is a sign that it’s time to slow down and reevaluate your priorities.
Your Heart Is Full of Panic
When your skin breaks out in goosebumps, you cover up. When you feel a burning sensation, you remove yourself from a heat source. When your brain signals fatigue, you go to sleep. Yet when your heart begins to surge with panic and your brain goes into frantic mode, you don’t take it as a sign that you should slow down. Rather, you push harder. You try to get more done – meet more deadlines, make more people happy, push yourself to your limits and beyond.
Panic, like other bodily sensations, is one way in which your body signals to you that something is wrong. If you find that you are constantly rushing to meet one deadline after another and that you feel under pressure more often than not, it may be a sign from God that it’s time to slow down.
You Don’t Have Time for Spiritual Disciplines
One of the biggest signs that you’re doing too much too fast is the fact that you do not have time for spiritual fulfillment. You should never feel as if you don’t pray enough, attend church enough or read your Bible enough. If you’re always too tired to engage in these activities, it may be God’s way of telling you to slow down and budget your time more wisely.
It’s easy to get caught up in daily responsibilities and technology. However, if you aren’t careful, you’ll lose sight of what really matters. If you notice that your own health or the health of those you love suffers, that you’re in a constant state of panic or that you have less time for spiritual discipline, it may be a sign that you already have.
