Slow Me Down & Speed Me Up, Lord

Slow me down, Lord!

Ease the pounding of my heart

By the quieting of my mind.

Steady my harried pace

With a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me,

Amidst the confusions of my day,

The calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves

With the soothing music of sighing streams

That live in my memory.

Help me to know

The magical restoring power of sleep.

Teach me the art

Of taking minute vacations of slowing down to look at a flower;

To chat with an old friend or make a new one;

to pat a stray dog;

to watch a spider build a web;

to smile at a child;

or to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me each day

That the race is not always to the swift;

That there is more to life than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward

Into the branches of the towering oak

And know that it grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord,

And inspire me to send my roots deep

Into the soil of life's enduring values

That I may grow toward the stars

Of my greater destiny.

A 1,046 year old oak tree grows in Blenheim, England

Speed me up, Lord!

Start the pounding of my heart

And concentration of my mind.

Quicken my pace

With a vision of my limited earthly time.

Give me,

Amid the confusions of my day,

The calm of self-chosen priorities.

Break the spell of quietness;

Let not soothing music or television

Keep me from activities.

Help me know

When to wake up,

When I've had sufficient sleep.

Teach me the art

Of channeling my energy

So I get things done-

And still have time

For flowers and friends,

Pets and children, smiles and books.

Remind me of each day

That there is more to life

Than "sitting around."

Let me look upward

Into the branches of the towering oak

And know that it is still producing.

Speed me up, Lord,

And inspire me to spend my strength wisely,

Remembering life's important values

That I may meet more challenges

And fulfill a greater destiny.

Estimated to be between 400 and 500 years old, the famous Angel Oak

grows on John's Island near Charleston, South Carolina

"Slow Me Down Lord"

Written by Wilferd A. Peterson

"Speed Me Up Lord"

Author Unknown