Some things are fast while others are slow. And despite the speed of modern society, one speed is not inherently better than the other. God created the glory of one for its swiftness and another for its unhurried approach to life.
For instance, we can see this in the animal kingdom in which hares are known for their quickness, while tortoises take a much slower pace. And even runners have different speeds. Sprinters tend to have more fast-twitch muscle fibers – enabling them to have powerful blasts of speed. Whereas distance runners have more slow-twitch fibers – enabling them to sustain and endure over longer periods of time.
And we can see these dual speeds in how we process and communicate information with each other as well. Some people are quick processors and can easily collect their thoughts in the moment. And when there’s conflict, they have no issue readily making their case, and at times running circles around those who might process things slower. But the speed of their processing doesn’t make their ideas necessarily better.
On the other hand, others tend to have a slower processing speed – needing time away from the moment to collect their thoughts. As such, they might be more prone to shutdown or withdraw in conflict when there’s an unrelenting pressure for them to make their case right now. This is not a lack of caring – just different speeds of processing. And, to be fair, while they might come back with deep insights, this is not always the case. Slower processing has many benefits, but it’s not inherently better.
What’s important to remember is that we each have our own glory, and these differences should be honored rather than vilified. This means we extend grace to those who are different, as we also learn to receive the gifts of their different speed.
In the end, some have quick minds while others need more time and space to deliberate. Either way, both have their own glory and should be honored as such.
Photo by Jonathan Chng on Unsplash
