Are You the Tortoise or the Hare?
We all know the famous fable about the Tortoise and the Hare. How could the slow-moving Tortoise ever think he could beat the fast-moving Hare in a race? Yet, that’s exactly what happens when the overconfident Hare takes a nap in the middle of the race and wakes up just in time to see the Tortoise cross the finish line. The moral of the story: “Slow and steady wins the race.”
Lately, I’ve caught myself being like the Hare, trying to speed things up in my life. But last week during a conversation with one of my Spiritual Coaching clients, I was reminded to be more like the Tortoise. As often happens, the tools and concepts I share during coaching sessions are exactly what I need to hear! I smiled when I heard myself say this to my client.
“There is no urgency in Spirit.”
What does that mean? One of my teachers explained it like this. Think about a river. No part of the river rushes past another part to get to the ocean first. All the water inevitably reaches its destination at the perfect time and not a moment sooner.
The same is true for us. We are all floating in the River of Life, doing our best to avoid the rapids, even though we sometimes paddle directly into them. Oops. Whatever the path, we eventually arrive at our destination at exactly the right time.
We can’t mess it up, even if we try! And I have certainly tried by making choices from fear. When I make choices from love and trust that I am exactly where I am meant to be, peace returns. I find great comfort in this core teaching from A Course in Miracles. (See the quote below.)
Forcing a solution or rushing things along rarely yields the results I want. All that manipulation and stress never makes the river move faster. It only takes away my peace.
Yes, there are times in life when we need to move quickly like the Hare and seize an opportunity when it presents itself. But the deeper I go on the spiritual path, the more I want to be like the Tortoise. Slow and steady wins the race.
When I trust the timing and let events unfold in their own rhythm, things have a way of working out better than anything I could have planned. And I enjoy the ride more too! So for anyone who needs this reminder like I did, here it is again. There is no urgency in Spirit.
Are you having a hard time trusting the flow of life? Are you more like the Hare, rushing from one situation to the next? It would be my great honor to assist you in slowing down like the Tortoise and strengthening your trust with a series of Spiritual Coaching Sessions. I incorporate the teachings of A Course in Miracles, Family Constellations, and other spiritual tools into each session to create an experience that will be most helpful for you. Please look around my website or send me an email for more information and to book a session. I look forward to working with you.
Your passage through time and space is not at random. You cannot but be in the right place at the right time.
A Course in Miracles ~ W-42.2:3-4