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Break-Nose Speed
Pastor Joey (my now fiancée’s dad) likes to say “slow is fast” when he talks about the importance of being patient, not rushing, and doing things excellently. This is really wise advice – and also very difficult, at least for me it has been. Being patient, staying in the moment, and living that moment excellently is very difficult with all the distractions, busyness, and worries of today’s world. It’s almost like something is wrong when things are progressing in a fast pace. On days that feel slow, that feel like they’re never going to end, my mind races ahead of the minutes and hours with all the things I know I have to do, forgetting to focus on what needs to be done in the moment. That’s the perfect recipe for not getting much done! The funny thing is, even as we rush through things, and switch from to-do after to-do, from distraction to distraction, time flies by and we realize we didn’t get enough done.

What’s the use of rushing if in the end we don’t get something excellent?

Reminds me of a time at the gym, when I was rushing through my workout. Since I didn’t have a lot of time, I thought I would do less reps of sit-ups with a heavier medicine ball for resistance. Instead of using my usual 6kg weight, I picked the 8kg ball instead. The heavier weight wouldn’t really have been a problem, but because I was more focused on the time (we needed to leave for a lunch appointment) than I was on the workout, I didn’t realize that my sweaty palms would not be able to grip the ball as I went up. A few seconds later, I walked up to David with a sad face and a red line across the bridge of my nose. The medicine ball had slipped and landed on my nose. Thank God it didn’t break! Here I was rushing to get something done and ended up nearly breaking something else instead!

You Can’t Rush Up a Mountain
A few days ago, David and I climbed Mt. Talamitam in Batangas. Those of you who follow us know we like to hike. We hadn’t tried this mountain before and wanted to give it a shot. I definitely recommend going there. It’s so peaceful up there with very few people and large open areas perfect for a picnic. It was also a great place for me to practice my budding interest in photography.

Despite it not being a difficult mountain, we moved slowly. David had an intense leg workout at the gym the day before, which isn’t very smart, especially for someone as smart as David. I was having a harder time than usual as I had just recovered from a bad cough. Instead of stressing out or rushing (David likes to force March or run these things), we just slowed down, enjoyed the view, and took things a step at a time.

David was uncharacteristically slow. He would later tell of his mental struggle in his recounting of our hike.

What I didn’t expect was that at the top of the mountain, while sitting on a rock for a photograph by our guide, David would clumsily propose (I wouldn’t do any better with my response), and now I’m engaged!

The funny thing is this, just last Sunday, I was asking (David says grilling) him about his plans for us in 2016. (Ladies, being in a relationship is a partnership. There’s nothing wrong with asking your partner what the plan is.) What I didn’t know is that he was already planning to propose a few days later! (So while it is good to discuss and define your plans, make sure to trust your partner, and before that, make sure you’re with someone you can trust!) After David dropped me off Sunday afternoon, after our discussion, I decided to just enjoy the rest of the day despite not getting the reassurance from him I was hoping for, and went to have a manicure. I haven’t had a manicure in a few years, so this was not a usual thing for me. It turned out to be perfect because, with the engagement, my fingers were about to be in a bunch of pictures with the engagement ring!

Instead of rushing David, I trusted him, and now I’m engaged. Instead of worrying or self-pitying, I relaxed and enjoyed myself. And even something as insignificant as a manicure contributed to the beautiful moment God had prepared for me.

Trust is Fast
Why do I rush? I asked myself this question. Why do I get anxious?

Here’s what I learned. For me, the reason why I rush, the reason why I worry, and the reason why I get anxious, is because I don’t trust God enough.

I believe in God. I believe He exists. I even love God more than anything in the world. But despite this, I find that myself still worried quite a bit, and still easily anxious. It’s not just about my relationship, it’s also about my health, about my career, about my finances, about my family, about my safety, about so many things. I’m sure you can relate.

But this 2016, I’m making it my goal to truly wait on God. Because to love Him, to believe in Him, means to understand that He loves me, and will never leave me nor forsake me. It means knowing that His timing is perfect, and so is His process. It means that even when things don’t seem to be going the way I want them to, they are going according to His plan because He is in control.

When we put our trust in God, when we stop getting in the way of what He’s doing by rushing, we find that we get to our destination, where He wants us to be, faster. Because trusting in God is fast. He makes everything beautiful in its time.