SPEEDING TRAINS

SPEEDING TRAINS

Watch out for speeding trains!  Speeding trains race down the tracks of life, faster, faster, ever faster.  Speeding trains are like racing brains,  the faster they go,  the more they miss along the way -  incredible  vistas,  gentle flowing streams, beautiful blue skies, quiet moments,  sweet sounds of  birds, the laughter of children.  They miss  the fragrance of  flowers, children happily playing in  parks,   cattle grazing in fields,  freshness after rain, a  brightly colored rainbow in the sky, wishing on a twinkling star, the  sound of music, the blossoming of trees, the silvery  moon  at  night, the glory of a rose garden,  the chirping of crickets and the croaking of frogs. 

 Speeding trains run over everyone and everything in their path, shaking the ground and   disrupting the peace and quiet solitude of nature.  Speeding trains leave a trail of smoke behind as they speed down the track, always in a hurry!  Beware little children!    Don’t get close to speeding trains, STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN!  Stand back as they speed by or they will run over you!      

         People in a hurry are like speeding trains, they hurry, hurry,   faster, faster, ever faster!  They never stop to smell the roses or watch a sunset.   They go so fast they become careful and troubled about too many things.  Like speeding trains, they lose their grounding and direction.  They leave others behind, and run over them as they speed down the tracks of life.  

When you see the world going faster and faster perhaps you believe that you must also pick up speed, but you don’t need to be a speeding train to get where you want to go. When you see others become speeding trains, stay calm, take a deep breath and stand on firm ground, the amazing grace of the Savior.  The Savior’s grace is sufficient for all who humble themselves and have faith in Him.   Stop believing that everything depends on you!  Don’t become confused and believe that you’re not going fast enough or doing things good enough.  Who said that fast is good and slow is bad?   Faster isn’t better!  More isn’t always more,   less can be more, and more can be less! 

 Don’t let others convince you that there is something wrong with you or the pace you are going.   It’s okay to take your time, to walk slow, to be quiet, and be still!    Slow down and enjoy the ride, the peaceful, quiet moments and beautiful things along the way.  Let nature be your teacher!   It’s in the quiet moments that we discover our own divine nature,   the stillness of our own soul. There we learn to know and love our self and God.  To know God, you must be still!

 Stop running faster than you have strength!  Just because everybody else is on a speeding train doesn’t mean you have to be.  You can step off that train and go the pace you choose to set for yourself.  You can learn to wait upon the Lord for further instructions.    Those who wait upon the Lord will rise up with strength, even the strength of eagles.   They learn to walk in the Lord’s time. Be gentle with yourself and others.  “The last shall be first and the first shall be last”.  Stop to help the weak and the slow, the poor and the needy, and those who missed the train.    

Racing brains are like speeding trains.  They go too fast to recognize the best part. They cannot focus on what they’re doing or where they’re going.   They become exhausted and weary!  Many of us have racing brains that won’t slow down nor be still.  We’re so busy trying to do it all that we cannot see what is needful.  We become so busy caring for the needs of others,  we neglect our own needs.  We get so confused we give our precious time to the things that matter least.  We race here and there in the ‘thick of many thin things’ neglecting the more urgent part, the nourishing and strengthening of our own soul.  We lose the quiet stillness that connects us to the spirit, and calms our troubled souls.  We forget to take time to nourish our bodies, our temple, as well as our soul.  We forget we need to rest when we’re tired, drink a glass of water when we’re thirsty, eat something healthy when we’re run down,  call a friend who is  lonely, and ask God for help when we are overwhelmed.

Many of us have become speeding trains, pushing hard and running faster than we have strength.   We try to find the energy to go when we’ve run out of gas and running on fumes!  We’re afraid that the work won’t get done on time, so we push harder and go faster.  If we slow down and take time to care for ourselves,  he work will get done better than work that comes from tiredness of body and soul.  Nurtured and nourished people, who love themselves and care for themselves, are able to run on heaven’s energy.  They are like cars after a tune up - their timing is better,   they are more efficient.    They are more organized because  they receive inspiration and help from above.  They are able to discern the essentials from the non essentials and the light from the dark.    

When the journey is over what will my life stand for?  Today, dear Lord, help me take care of myself so I’ll have something to give to others.   Help me not be deceived nor distracted from fulfilling the measure of my creation.  Help me recognize and claim my spiritual gifts, and use them in thy service, to make the world a better place.   Help me be gentle with myself and others, forgiving and kind to all those I find on my path.    Please help me calm my racing brain.  Help me stop, look and listen, to the spirit!   Please help me believe in myself, in my true nature.   Help me be constant and confident, serene and strong, peaceful and patient, just like the little engine that said, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can” as he climbed up the hill and over the top.   Help me love, bless and nurture those who are speeding trains and those who get run over by speeding trains, because they need thy help as much as I do.  Maybe even more!  

                                                                                                 SUZANNE GILES STAGG