Pause, Pray, and Don't Break a Nail!

Hurrying up can get you into trouble. Lisa Simmons shares how she is listening to God's reminders to slow down.

Yes, it's a weird headline to this Pause and Pray article, but it's true. I am the master of hurry up and do things. I reach for items in my house with the speed of light, and all that has gotten me in return is broken or split fingernails.

Now, I take daily vitamins which contain those vitamins good for your hair and nails. But none of that matters because my real problem is, I don't slow down.

It didn't really dawn on me that I was rushing that much. I mean, what mom doesn't rush around the house putting things away, tidying up, starting laundry, cooking supper? But as I was cramming clothes into my washing machine, I jammed my fingernail into one of those little holes in the agitator basket. Warning, this is not for the faint of heart: I split my nail, down the entire side of my finger. Yeow.

What in the world? How could this happen?

"Slow down!" I could hear that little voice in my head reminding me of my Pause and Pray moment in the car. Just slow your life down, Lisa!

fingernail with "pause pray" sticker on it

It's true. I get up in the morning, put my feet on the floor ... and it's off to the races. I've gotten so good at rushing around I don't even realize it until I do something like jam a fingernail into something. And it has happened a lot lately. I have broken more fingernails in the last several months than ever. I began taking extra vitamins to strengthen them! But you know what? That is not going to help. The only thing that will cure this is slowing down.

Honestly, what is the rush? What is going on in my life that I need to be rushing around for? I am not working triage in an emergency room and even there they are calmer and more patient than I am at home.

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A lifetime of rushing, thinking everything is a personal race or competition, is just not healthy for my body or my soul. #catholicmom

Pause and Pray has been reminding me to actually take a breath, slow down, move my body gently. A lifetime of rushing, thinking everything is a personal race or competition, is just not healthy for my body or my soul. God gave us twenty-four hours and a whole lifetime to get things done and all that rushing leads to what? A cleaner house? A job done faster so I can move on to another job?

Pause and Pray is teaching me, slowly, that I can do my chores and job and still stop to watch an airplane contrail in the sky, see the wind blow through the trees, smell the brand new flowers as they emerge from the ground, and praise my Lord for all of His creation. It is teaching me that what is important is to just being in the moment, even while doing laundry.

finger with "pause pray" sticker on it

God knew what He was doing when He literally showed me that Pause and Pray sign months ago. He knew I needed something to remind me to slow myself down. For me as a wife, mother, and grandmother, life seems to speed up at an incredible rate already, I don't need to hurry it along with a lack of patience or self competitive spirit!

Sometimes when I am rushing around and bang my fingernail into something, it is another sign to me that I am rushing my life again. As I go to fix my nail, I can say a prayer of thanks to God for yet another reminder that He is in charge of everything!