It’s spring – the time of new life, unexpected growth, and anticipation.
Our grass was mowed for the first time yesterday, the flower beds were edged, and hopefully the wood chips will get freshened up today.
It was the right time to pick up the Bible Study, “Growing Slow: A 6-Week Guided Journey to Un-Hurry Your Heart” by Jennifer Dukes Lee.
While it is six sessions designed to be done over six weeks, I admit I have only done the first week. Now I fully intend to do the remaining five but I don’t want to rush through in order to post a review. What would be the point if the focus is to slow down, to be less hurried, and to learn the treasure to be found in rest and slowness?
We live in a culture that is fast-paced, admires multi-tasking, and moving through our days and responsibilities quickly in order to get to the next thing. Often we miss gleaning the treasures to be found in what lies right in front of us.
We live in fear of missing out on the next thing. We become anxious that life will move on without us. We live with a hurried heart:
“A hurried heart is the anxious way you feel when you calculate all that must be done. It’s the weight on your chest when you think you’ve got to hustle. It the pressure to catch up with everyone else. And it’s the condition that makes you falsely believe that the small, good things you’re growing really aren’t that great after all.”
(Jennifer Dukes Lee, Growing Small Bible Study, page 8)
We have been trained to hurry, to constantly move from one thing to the next.
The first session was wonderful, a comforting balm to my soul. The video (they are all free by the way) brought insights from the farm. Jennifer Dukes Lee delivers her thoughts in the most un-hurried of ways, which slowed my thoughts down as a peace filled my mind.
Week One focuses on the word “Cultivate”, bringing an understanding of preparation and patience. She reminds us:
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
(2 Peter 3:9, NIV)
The questions are thought provoking, and caused me to dig deeper at times. The digging brought clarity and understanding:
God will grow things according to His will,
in His way,
and in His time.
I am very much looking forward to slowing my heart and doing the remainder of this study. This is a wonderful study to do in a group or alone.
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I have been curious about how the book and the Bible study differ. Thank you for sharing your review even before finishing!
Michele, I cannot speak to the book as I have not read it. When the study became available, I was interested and looking for a study to do 🙂 Having just finished the devotional “Flourish” by Beth Moore, this one grabbed my attention due to its similar theme. The first week was very good and I am looking forward to doing the remainder of the study.
This sounds like such a great Bible study! I don’t necessarily feel I need to hury, but I do have a lot of fear of missing out.
It’s been a good study thus far, giving food for thought. Since we are using an agricultural metaphor, you have made me ask myself … if every season is in His control, will we, or can we, truly miss out? Or will every season bring exactly what we need according to His plan?
I’m looking forward to reading this book! I heard about it on the Welcome Heart podcast that she was a guest on. Definitely something I can use right now. As an author I always feel I’m missing out or can’t keep up because of my pain level. I could use a different slower approach 😊
Kathleen, both you and Astrid (in her comment above) have prompted me to ask myself a few questions 🙂 >> If every season is in His control, will we, or can we, truly miss out? Or will every season bring exactly what we need according to His plan? I am thinking, every season, in His wisdom, leads us right where we should be.
This sounds good. We do tend to want to rush growth, especially spiritual growth. But it takes time, weeding, feeding, and watering.