The Snails And Me

Know what this little critter is? These are the tiny snails that have been hanging out around our church. I’ve never seen any there before. Soon, I suppose they will soon go away as quietly as they came. And just as slowly. We have slugs in front of our house. They are large snails with no shell. And they leave a silver trail wherever they slink. Ick! But as creepy as they are, they have something in common with me. We are both slow. You might say that we creep along at a snail’s pace. So my phrase for today is: step aside. When I was just a bit younger, I used to zip through life at a fast pace. And at times, other people would have to step aside to let me pass. Now I am the one stepping aside. All the time. And watching the world rush past me. Our Lord is slow to become angry, and wants us to do the same. And James says we should be slow to speak. This is to give us time to think first. However, I still talk just as fast as ever. I haven’t read anywhere that it’s good to be slow moving. Slow movers see things that fast movers miss. Some things I’d rather not see. Strangers in public with tears in their eyes. Homeless people with all their belongings in a cart. Garbage on the street. But I also see beautiful things: Tiny little flowers, dragonflies, dewdrops on spider webs, baby birds bathing in puddles, joy on children’s faces. Sara Teasdale wrote a poem called “Life Has Loveliness To Sell”, where she tells us to “spend everything you have on loveliness. Buy it and never count the cost.” And since this is my path in life right now, I think that’s a pretty good bargain. So what I would say to you today is this: step aside. You’ll be amazed at what you see.