“Wait! Let’s stop here a few minutes and sit by the waterfall.”

Waterfall? I was 25 feet or so ahead of my husband on the trail when he called to me, and his words stopped me in my tracks. I turned and headed back down the hill I was already climbing.

Wow. How did I miss that? The recent rains had produced not quite a roar, but an unmistakable whooshing of water over and down the twenty-foot drop of the rocky creek bed. Though not visible from the trail, a detour of but a few steps to the side brought the cascading water into sight.

And I had zoomed right past it, so focused on my goal, on the path forward, that the gurgling cascade failed to even register to my senses.

I chose a rock and sat, my gaze transfixed on the waterfall, but my mind berating me. “Are you so intent on reaching the finish line that you miss the beauty along the way? What other blessings have you zipped past without taking the time to enjoy them?”

I sat there with my husband in silence, watching, listening, feeling the light mist with the breeze, smelling the—what is that?—mountain laurel! The delicate white blooms were bursting from some nearby trees. I would have missed them, too, no doubt.

“Slow down!” I felt the silent words echo through my mind and embed themselves in my soul. “Why must you always be in such a hurry?”

Slow down. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry?

Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?

Jeremiah 2:25, The Message

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, inhaling peace, exhaling my hurried agenda. When I opened my eyes, my husband was looking at me. “Thanks for making me stop. I needed this.”

He just smiled. “Ready to go?”

“Nope. Let’s just stay here and rest for a while.”