Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast

About a month ago I read a quote from a navy SEAL that went, “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”

That’s so true. Whenever we learn something new, from playing piano, to golf, to any skill, even something like public speaking or painting it’s important to slow down.

Just slowing down in any area in life increases accuracy and precision, and therefore creates the environment for success.

So slow down to speed up

What you need to do in life is slow down, practice deliberately, and then gradually turn up the pace or distance. Your goal must be to do the thing perfectly every time first, then faster or farther. If you just go for speed or distance you’ll never develop the accuracy that’s needed because you’re also increasing the margin of error.

If you’re off a fraction of a degree when putting a golf ball, it won’t matter when it’s only an inch from the cup. But it makes all the difference in the world when you’re 20 feet away.

That’s all fine for sports and the like, but what about your real life? What does this have to do with raising kids, finding a job, or dealing with angry outbursts? Oddly, it’s all the same.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

For example: How quickly do you become aware of yourself?

How fast do you notice your motivations, your feelings, or your impulses before you’re carried away?

Can you catch yourself before you shoot off a sarcastic comment?

Can you, really?

Or, for those of us who are more introverted and unlikely to get caught in that particular trap, can you speak up for yourself when needed?

When your gut instinct is telling you one thing and your mind another and you need to react – these are the situations in which developing your inner sense of balance, hearing that still small voice, and growing a finely tuned conscience that steers you straight really makes all the difference.

What would it be like to get a nudge forward exactly when you needed to make a “step of faith?”

When was the last time you needed courage, but didn’t have it?

How could you develop a personal peace that allows you to hear, understand, and empathize with your yelling spouse? Or the pain that shouts out? Or the hurt that bubbles up?

→ Can we practice dealing with life before life happens?

Yes, of course yes.

That’s what meditation and prayer are all about

They aren’t just for mystics and monastics, or even only pastors and preachers.

Seriously!

Moments of stillness are the ways that we develop the skills that allow us to handle daily trials with strength and dignity. Instead of breaking down or lashing out, we can walk with humble power.

Look, when someone cuts you off in traffic, having a good working knowledge of the doctrine of the Trinity isn’t going to change things.

But knowing the Trinity will. Having spent 10, 20, or 30 minutes with God, re-designing your neural pathways and setting your face toward God will make changes in your life.

Your gut reaction needs to change

Your deep beliefs, attitudes, and general instinctive mode of being.

This begins with accepting Christ as your Lord and Saviour… but you already know that. “Work out your own salvation” is a daily pursuit that few people know how to do.

But if you listen to the saints of the past, and watch for clues you can tell how it works.

But wait… Some people act like all Christians should be perfect because they’re saved. Jesus died, we accept his sacrifice, we are saved, hands washed. Done.

Oh, wouldn’t that be nice? No, that’s not it at all. There is also a daily focus that is needed, fellowship, and service. We are not just saved but we are being saved. We move forward, anticipating heaven, trusting for strength today.

So, take some time today to practice meditation/stillness/quiet/contemplation. Practice the skills you need to handle what is going to go wrong today or this week. Don’t wait until you’re in the leaky lifeboat to learn to swim.

Stillness in God’s presence is an act that develops your faith, deepens your hope, and orients your perspective.

It’s a skill that reaps rewards throughout your life.