Please do not be hasty. The nature never hurries. Hurrying will never hasten the arrival of Spring. Hastening won't stop the rain either. The climbing guides at the Swiss Alps tell the young climbers repeatedly to climb "slowly and steadily". They remind them to not walk so fast nor too slow. As our experiences tell us, we need rests every now and then. Resting gives us the time to recharge, and the moment to look back at the paths we have traveled and our achievements. Resting allows us to gather energy in order to move forward. Even a powerful bull needs to rest from time to time. One cannot rest continuously, however. He must get up and walk again, or even run at times. The most important thing, however, is to display slow and steady devotion.
The great secret of success lies in not hurrying and avoiding being idle. Most tend to think that hurrying will help you save time. But not so. Hurrying won't necessarily help you towards an achievement. In order to achieve, one must plan wisely. One must learn to concentrate. You are needed of the wisdom to bring to completion even the smallest tasks. It is more important to complete one or two things than to attempt to do many. Completing a task rightly is much more important than completing it fast.
To catch a big fish, one must learn to wait. Small fishes make frequent bites, but big fishes do not. One must wait awhile to make a big catch. One must also learn to make the finish complete when an opportunity arises. Just because a big fish nibbled on the bait, does not mean it's a catch. If it's easily caught, then it's not a big fish. The important and consistent characteristic to notice in the people that were given great tasks by God was their patience. As they waited, they prayed and got themselves ready. They were faithful. They proceeded slowly but steadily. They marched one step at a time towards the summit. And they have arrived one day. Then they served.
The people we need to pay attention to are not the fast ones. Those who move too swiftly are dangerous, because they can go ahead of God and ahead of prayer. If you're too fast, you cannot see or hear clearly. Our souls grow all the more anxious at the speed. There is a need to slow down for the peace of our souls. The people we need to pay attention to, then, are the faithful ones. Those who are diligent. Shakespeare said, "Diligence makes your fame shine". An ordinary but diligent person will eventually be ahead of an idle genius. We need to pay attention to those who do outstanding performance on a single task. And knowing to tie the loose ends of a task. It is to those that are steady and consistent at any given task that a bright future awaits.
A statistic has been made that in order to be an expert in something, one must devote ten thousand hours to it. To bring a particular field to a mastery, one must give ten years of steady devotion. It is dangerous to attempt to bring something to a conclusion in a short time. Life is not a gamble. Life is about planting a seed and reaping from it. It is a marathon. Goethe's motto was "without haste, without rest." Listen carefully to what he says. "Do not rush. Do not let your thoughtless acts ruin your mind's speed forever. Think carefully and judge precisely. And then decide what you will do. Do not rush. Time will not repay for the recklessness of your actions. Be diligent yet without haste.
The new year's dawn only feels a few days ago, but it has already been a month. But do not allow that to haste you. Do not rush. What's important is walk slowly and steadily. Learn from Daniel. He prayed three times a day. He slowly moved forward on his knees. He never went ahead of God. Never ahead of prayer. He was faithful to his daily routine. God searches for the faith, not the successful. Because true success is contained within faithfulness. Let us slowly and steadily devote ourselves. I love you.
Rev. Joshua Choonmin Kang, from the Pastorate
with Magic Hole Chocolate Cake
