Our contemporary culture glorifies busyness and it has created an addiction to the “more” and “many.” In this fast-paced world, people are developing an intense desire to do more and to do them faster. These may stem from and encourage a wrong mindset that the busier we are, the more valuable and acceptable we are to society. Doing more becomes a badge of honor that we proudly wear.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Doing more is not necessarily wrong or bad, especially if that is what God is calling us to do. But it can potentially harm us if we’re not careful and develop an unhealthy mindset that we should always do more and more and more and more. We may think that we’re still on mission but in reality, we’re hurting ourselves or other people in the process.

Could it be that this enhanced community quarantine isn’t just meant for us to combat a health crisis, but also to change this pervasive culture? Could it be that when the entire world hit the pause button, it also pushed us to welcome another approach in how we live, and even in how we lead? What are some of the things that we can consider and reflect on while life is moving in slow motion? 

Take Things Slow

Resting is not just for the tired and the burnt out—it is for every living soul. God designed our entire being to flow within sustainable rhythms of work and rest. Resting, sleeping, and taking things slow are also expressions of our faith in God. When we do these, we acknowledge that we depend on God and that He is sovereign over all things.

When we take things slow, we remind ourselves of our worth in God, having no need to prove ourselves and no desire to get our worth from our achievements, titles, or recognitions. Taking things slow also reminds us that while the mission is very important, we must also give equal importance to key relationships and to the lives of the people that God has entrusted to us. 

So, rest, work, rest, recover, and repeat. By embracing this healthy rhythm, we acknowledge the rulership of Jesus in our lives, families, leadership, and ministry goals. The more we surrender to His rulership, the more He builds our faith and our character, resulting in greater wisdom and stability in our lives and leadership.

Embrace God’s Process of Transformation

Things can happen in an instant. Because of this, people demand instant gratification and instant change. We easily get frustrated when things don’t happen as quickly as we want them to. When things don’t work out according to our timeline, we give up.

But transformation is not an overnight process. It is a journey that takes time. If you’re aiming for the kind of transformation that lasts, your motivation should be more than just hype or adrenaline rush. It should be a strong desire for transformation that reflects God’s glory.

Our journey toward transformation started when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but it does not stop there. God continually transforms us according to the image of Christ as He sanctifies and renews us day by day. 

That’s why we don’t need to be too hard on ourselves. We do not cause ourselves to change. It’s all God’s work, but we must surrender our whole beings under Jesus’ Lordship and continuously surrender and die to ourselves every day. True transformation happens when Jesus is Lord over each and every aspect of our lives.

Recommit Yourself to God

The first step in recommitting yourself to God is surrendering to His will. 

Surrendering our will is counterintuitive when we naturally want to take control and do more things in less time. But when we say, “Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done,” we’re declaring that we surrender to God’s will and trust in the goodness of His character.

Surrendering to God is much easier when we acknowledge His goodness. When we know that God is for us and that He loves us, we will naturally obey and develop a lifestyle of daily committing to surrender our whole being into His loving hands.