Ants Marching

Have you ever heard the song Ants Marching by the Dave Matthews Band?  This happens to be one of my favorite songs from this band.  It tells a great story of how people are constantly moving, moving, moving…like little ants marching. 

There are a lot of times in my life when I feel like I’m one of those ants marching, moving quickly through the daily routine of life and not taking a moment to stop and appreciate the world around me.  Lately though, I’ve been feeling this little nudge from God telling me to slow down. 

One morning, a couple of weeks ago, I found myself running a few minutes late (which usually happens more often than not).  In an effort to make up some time, I rushed to get my son into the car, rushed to give my husband a kiss, and then rushed to drive out of our parking garage.  When I arrived at my son’s school a few minutes later, I heard that voice again… “Slow down.”

This time, I listened to that voice and did just that – I slowed down.  I turned around to look at my son sitting in his car seat.  He tilted his head to the side and gave me a big smile, almost like he knew something was different about me.  At that moment, I put my hand on his leg and prayed for him.  I prayed that he would have a great day.  I prayed that he would be safe and no harm would come upon him.  I prayed that he would be a blessing to his teachers and to the other kids in his class.  I prayed that he would have fun and learn everything that he needed to learn.

After I dropped my son off at school, I got into the car and on purpose, I took my time driving to work (even though I knew I would be a few minutes late).  There happened to be a lot of construction on the road that day, so I made sure to drive carefully.  As I drove past the main construction area, I saw a man holding up a big orange and black sign.  It said…SLOW. 

I got the message loud and clear. 

I don’t want to be like an ant just marching along to the drum beat of life.  I want to slow down more so that I can learn to appreciate the beauty in everyone and everything around me.  Life is precious, and I want to enjoy every single moment of it.