“The Lord proclaims: Stop at the crossroads and look around; ask for the ancient paths. Where is the good way? Then walk in it and find a resting place for yourselves…” (Jeremiah 6:16)
I was reading an interesting article yesterday (OK, OK, it was in “Men’s Health,” but don’t judge me) about how a fair amount of life’s wisdom can be summarized in 3-word sentences, like “Drink more water,” “Ask more questions,” “If late, call,” and, my favorite, “Facebook isn’t real.”
After reading this text from Jeremiah, it struck me that you can take the gist of this passage and condense it into one-word sentences as a good structure for your faith-walk during the day: Stop. Look. Ask. Walk. Rest.
Obviously I’m simplifying the verse, but it helped me slow down yesterday as I went through these reminders.
There are days when you might linger over one of these words and it could be your prayer for the day. Are you being called to stop? To not be on the go all the time? Or maybe you’re being asked to look. Notice things. Maybe it’s been some time since you’ve had a conversation with God. Ask. (One key part of this verse that I excluded in my one-word-a-thon can also stand on its own: “Where is the good way?” What a wonderful question to continually ask of God!)Â Or are you being moved to action? Walk. Finally, you could be worn out. Rest.
Use (awkward acronym alert) SLAWR as your prayer today. It may help you simplify things in a world that is seemingly ever more complex. Stop. Look. Ask. Walk. Rest. And I’d add one more. Repeat.