Several weeks ago at our S.A.Lifeline Staff meeting, Rhyll Croshaw gave the spiritual thought.
Her thought? Slow Down. She actually referenced a concert given by Sissel in late summer 2019, a song of the same name. It had made quite an impact on her and she wanted to share it with our SAL community.
When I finally sat down to listen to the piece and write this post, almost 2 months later, it was difficult to keep myself from opening another window so I didn’t waste my time. That’s just the way I’m wired. But as soon as the music started and Sissel’s voice floated slowly, serenely into the air, I felt my breath slow and my hands fall to my lap. This song, this music, was not meant to be consumed. It was meant to be experienced.
Whether you are in full-blow trauma, plodding along in early recovery, or sailing back from crisis mode into what may feel like a “normal” flow of living, Slow Down is always good advice.
Slow Down.
The world we live in is full of “not-enoughness.” Not enough time. Not enough money. Not enough patience. We run and we run, faster and faster, but never find the sense of wholeness or completion that we are looking for. We make sure everyone knows how busy we are, and we hope that our to-do list will clearly establish our value to our neighbors and friends. Maybe even to ourselves.
Betrayal Trauma triggers right into the heart of this Not-Enough mentality. When our most trusted connection leaves us, we may fear deep down, in the pit of our stomach, that we are not enough, and never will be.
Through the worst of the trauma and the treadmill of “normalcy,” Slowing Down has helped me reverse the Not-Enough downward spiral in virtually every aspect of my life.
It is too loud to hear God in the rush and the chaos. If we are looking for validation by getting bigger, smaller, or a well-placed combination of both, we will find that no amount of plastic surgery, title, hair-do, or achievement can bring us the safety we are so desperate to find.
But if we Slow Down, we will find a constant reservoir of peace, clarity, and calm assurance, that exists not somewhere out there for us to grasp or attain. It is ever-present underneath all the rushing and the hustling for our worth. It is the bottomless well of love and light from whence we came. It is there for each one of us, no matter where we are currently at in our road. It is the “peace that passeth all understanding.”
But how do we get there?
Slow Down.
One way to start? Take 6 minutes of your life today to just sit back and listen to this song. Don’t open another window, don’t text the carpool or add a note to the shopping list. Just relax, let go, and experience this song. Maybe even close your eyes.
If it feels good, remember that, and maybe do it again tomorrow. See what a little Slowing Down, one moment at a time, can do for your actions, your reactions, your relationships, your life.
From my experience, there is no better way to find God at your center. It’s really as simple as that.
