Slow + Sacred: Confessions of a Type A Person Learning to Slow Down
The Week of January 13th
Monday, January 13th
As a Type A personality, I’ve been known to charge through a checklist.
For much of my life, the motto has been: on to the next. And because of that, I’ve often missed the now.
Eckhart Tolle has this beautiful—and painfully convicting—quote: “Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. Then you miss your whole life, which is never not now.”
Yeah. Let that one sit for a minute.
One of my goals on this journey to unhurry my soul is practicing intentional gratitude—to slow down long enough to see and appreciate what’s right in front of me.
For those who don’t know, we’re planting a church, Kingdom South. It’s one of the mirrors God is using to help me slow down and be present.
In my earlier days as a pastor, I was obsessive.
For context, I started pastoring (not just preaching) at 21.
And back then, everything was a thing.
I wanted every detail perfect, every problem solved instantly, every goal achieved yesterday. I remember hearing from people on my team how I was hard to please.
Looking back, they were right.
Thinking about those days, I can only imagine the moments I missed—the relationships I could’ve nurtured, the small wins I could’ve celebrated, the quiet ways God was working that I overlooked because I was too focused on what was next.
Yesterday, during the message, I paused to express my gratitude—for our church and the people who make it what it is. We’re a young church, still finding our way, but I’ve been here long enough to recognize the signs of something healthy, something real.
It’s a quiet beauty that can only be seen when you notice the now.
I’m not perfect at it, but I’m trying.
Sean