Daily Wisdom 06-20-2001 Slowing Down In a Culture Hooked on Speed

We were driving through Gatlinburg, Tennessee the Niagara Falls of the South in terms of tourist kitsch - when a sign caught my eye. "Drive through wedding-$69." Some signs advertised "mountain chapel" weddings for $300-400. But a drive-through hitch up could be had for under $70.

Then I heard of a Protestant priest who conducted "no fuss, no muss" baptisms this past Easter in the Northwest. In one community, people received postcards offering an easy no-commitment baptism at the church's Saturday Easter vigil. Instead of the six weeks of classes usually required of baptism candidates, participants only had to have an hour of preparation to take part in a 2 1/2 hour service. Afterward, they were not obligated to join the parish or become a member of that particular denomination. Before we sniff or complain about this cheap and easy religion, the priest explained that his bishop had been encouraging all of the priests to "think outside the box" in terms of attracting those who are not happy with the institutional church. So we can compliment his motive if not the exact method.

Now, in the same vein, (i.e., the motive may be right), perhaps we should praise the $69 wedding. What a huge savings over the $20,000 tab some parents run up.

Maybe I'm getting old, but I think some things should not be rushed. I remember one engaged couple who planned a leisurely two-year engagement. The bride-to-be's rationale? "I just want to enjoy this stage and have us take our time. We have the rest of our lives to be married."

Think back to my opening illustration and the Great Smoky Mountains that surround Gatlinburg. These mountains have been around for eons. I won't get into the scientific debate, but I like the way the writer of Psalms 90 puts it, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. ... For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past." This is not so much about a thousand years passing in a flash, as saying the years build up in God's time to where a thousand years seem like only a day.

Perhaps this clash of cultures, the culture of "instant everything," with things that can't or shouldn't be rushed, results in one of the peculiar maladies of our time, road rage. Hooked on phones in our pocketbooks, instant messaging on the computer, drive-through hamburgers and next-day packages, when traffic jams up, we're out of control. When a slowpoke in the fast lane jimmies up the freeway, we're hotter than a jalapeno in super salsa.

If you have fast-forwarded your life to the point where traffic always makes you boil and waiting for an email feels like waiting for the Pony Express, take a long, slow breath. Ask yourself, what is my rush? I don't want a $69 wedding. I don't want a one-time religion. I don't need a vacation to gridlock. Maybe I'll just slow down and take a day off, in the backyard. Can I stand it?

If you're interested, there is more information about:
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Contributed by Melodie Davis from her weekly columnANOTHER WAY (http://www.thirdway.com/aw/).For information on using Another Way in a local newspaper, contact:ANOTHER WAY, 1251 Virginia Ave., Harrisonburg, VA 22801-2497; or call1-800-999-3534; fax at 540-434-5556; or email me at:Melodie@mennomedia.org