Slow me down, Lord!
 

Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
by the quietening and calming
of my mind.
Break the tensions
of my nerves and muscles
with the soothing music
of the singing streams
that live in my memory.
Give me, amidst the confusion
of the day,
the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Steady my hurried pace
with a vision
of your eternal reach of time,
and restore and heal me
in the hours of sleep.
Teach me the art
of appreciating what is ordinary:
of slowing down
to look at and become more aware
of the beauty around me;
to take time to be with others,
to sit and enjoy music
or a good book
- to give myself time for myself.
Remind me each day
of the fable
of the hare and the tortoise,
that I may know
that the race is not always
to the swift;
that there is more to life
than increasing its speed.
Let me look upwards
into the branches
of the towering trees
and know
that they grew great and strong
because they grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord,
and inspire me to send my roots
deep into the soil
of life’s enduring values.
Slow me down, Lord,
that I may grow true and well
in your light.
Amen.