My life is a lot slower then it used to be. My kids are in college, which leaves time for my wife and I to do pretty much what we want. No more chasing kids to concerts and track meets. Don’t get me wrong, we had a lot of fun doing those things but life is a lot slower now because they are in the past. For the most part life moves at a comfortable pace that is until I read I Thess. 4:11,12. Paul calls me to make a quiet life my ambition. All of the sudden my life doesn’t seem quiet so calm when I think about these words. I push through writing sermons when I need to move slowly so I can hear God speak. I rush writing class material when I need to take my time and see where God is leading. While outside my life looks pretty calm and quiet, inside there is this constant hurry and push.

I feel like the guy in the commercial I watched last night. Some obviously oriental guys are watching a horde of barbarians ride down on them when the leader of our peaceful group motions for his servant to push the “easy” button. Suddenly a huge wall springs up between the barbarians and our group except for the leader who looks up to see he is on the wrong side of the wall and the barbarians are almost on top of him. He speaks a foreign language and the sub title reads “darn”. Sometimes I look up and see my inside world about to be run over by a rush of fear, nervousness and worry and all I can say is, darn.

My goal is to live a quiet peaceful life but sometimes the fates seem to conspire against me, not to mention a few well meaning church folks. Maybe Paul says for us to make a quiet life our goal because it’s one of those things we never seem to quite accomplish completely. A little worry and stress come with the territory if you’re truly human. While I long for that quiet, peaceful serene inner and outer life I know if I experience more often then not, times are good.