Slow and Steady

Christian author and speaker Dave Ramsey has a passion for helping people get out of debt so that they can be free to live deeply and give generously. In one of his classes, he tells a story about a time when he met with a very wealthy individual. Dave asked this man what his secret was for building wealth. The man said that there was a great book he’d read hundreds of times. He had read it to his children and now to his grandchildren. Dave was curious. “What book?” he asked. The man replied, “The Tortoise and the Hare. In that book, you know who wins the race? The tortoise wins every time. Every time I read the book, the tortoise wins.

Dave Ramsey used that story to make the point that people do not get out of debt and build wealth overnight. It is a slow deliberate process that results in success. The same could be said of our spiritual lives. We do not grow into people of deep faith overnight. We give ourselves over to disciplines of prayer, worship, and study. Then, when the storms of life come, we are prepared.

Psalm 1 reminds us that we are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its due season. A tree that has been growing for years, that has tapped deep into life-giving water will not be easily shaken.

May we all take a lesson from the tortoise and the hare. Slowly and steadily, may we take steps to deepen our walk with God. Remember, even small daily habits can make a huge difference in how we face troubles in life.

Let us pray: Loving God, we pray especially today for people who are in the midst of a crisis and who have no time to develop deep faith. We ask you to meet them wherever they are, support them, uphold them, give them your grace. And grant each of us also a desire to love and follow you more closely – even now. Amen.