I can drive, but I get places so much faster on a plane. My finances are on Quicken, so I know instantly that I have enough money to fly. This morning I started my day with Nestlé Quik hot chocolate, and later I began my diet with Slim Fast, but then I stopped for some fast food. I dropped off some pictures at Fast Photo, my car at Ten Minute Lube, my laundry at One Hour Cleaners, and got to the airport only to realize I had forgotten my notes, so I pulled out my Sprint Card and told my secretary to Fed Ex the material to my hotel. I parked in Fast Park and grabbed the Rapid Shuttle. I hurried to get on the plane so I could carry my baggage and not have to wait at baggage claim. Then I caught the Quick Shuttle to my hotel. I went to Express Check-in and had just enough time to go for a quick swim, but I couldn’t find my Speedo swimsuit, so I decided to work. I listened to a tape on fast speed. The speaker sounds a little like Donald Duck. I listened to an hour-long seminar in 45 minutes. That’s fast.

I remember that back when I had young kids, life wasn’t so fast. Kids will slow you down, especially when they’re in the concrete stage of development when they see, touch, smell, or lick everything they come into contact with. I saw a boy with a burned lip and asked how he burned it. He said, “I licked my nightlight.” I asked, “Why?” He said, “I’d never licked one before.” Kids slow us down because they don’t want to miss anything.

Our girls loved Oreos. They ate the top layer off two cookies and then put them together to double the cream. Then they ate it very slowly because they wanted the good part to last as long as possible. I think that’s why God gave us kids — to slow us down so we can make the best part last as long as possible. God has His own way of slowing us down. He put bones in fish, seeds in watermelon, and that little pain in the side of your head when you eat ice cream too fast.

I can remember when one of my kids earned a surprise. I had promised to take her to the store, so we stopped by a quick shop to get her surprise. I guess I was a little too restless because she turned to me and said, “Daddy, are we in a hurry again?” I realized she probably thought her name was Hurry instead of Kasey because I was always telling her to hurry. So this time I said, “No, Kasey, we are not in a hurry. Take as much time as you want to pick out your surprise.” And she did. I think she touched, picked up, and cuddled everything in the store.

As I look back, seeing her make one of her first choices in life is one of my best memories. When we got to the car, she said it would be OK if I listened to one of those Donald Duck tapes. Even then I was listening to sermons on fast speed. I asked if she were sure, and she said, “I don’t understand sermons anyway so making them sound like Donald Duck makes it fun.” It was a great lesson for me. Most people don’t understand sermons anyway. Maybe I should spend more time with people than preaching to them.

The girls are grown now, and I’m off to speak, and I’m in the fast lane again. But God knows how to slow me down: He’s given me grandkids. I’m even thinking about licking a nightlight. I’ve never done that before. Actually, I think I’ll settle for the double-cream Oreos. However, I bet it will be hard to eat slowly.