February 24th, 2025
By: Josh Sims
‘Slow is smooth and smooth is fast’
This seemingly contradictory phrase originates in the Special Operations community, and its aim is to highlight the importance of consistency, accuracy, and control in the execution of tasks. This phrase is designed to SLOW DOWN the thinking and actions of these highly trained military personnel.
I know what you’re thinking, “Why in the world would you want the people responsible for guarding our freedoms to slow down?!” This mantra was developed for circumstances where speed and precision are both critical to the mission. Instead of rushing headlong into battle or allowing the chaos of a situation to flood into your thought process, this phrase reminds all that have trained with it to remain in control of their situation by keeping a level-headed approach and clear thought process, because when the bullets are flying, chaos is abounding and nothing is going right, people revert back to what they know most.
If our military personnel allow themselves to be swept up in the chaos of the surrounding situation, they’ll most likely make a rash decision that may result in loss of mission, or worse, loss of life.
When we rush, the brain’s prefrontal cortex becomes overloaded. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive functions such as decision making and problem solving. This reactive response can lead to errors, diminished creativity, and even burnout. On the other hand, when we slow down, we allow our brains to fully engage with the task at hand. This focused approach facilitates more robust neural connections, promoting learning and mastery. As proficiency grows, speed naturally follows. In a study conducted by Stanford University, researchers found that students who were taught to understand the concepts deeply, even if it meant learning at a slower pace initially, outperformed their peers in the long run.
Most of us will never face the chaos of war, but we will all face the chaos of life. Health fails, schedules don’t line up, relationships fracture. We must admit, sometimes these circumstances are self-inflicted, sometimes these are attacks of the enemy, and sometimes they are completely serendipitous.
My favorite bible story of chaos is the story of Job. The story of Job goes something like this: God says to Satan, “Have you seen my servant Job? He is a righteous man – he loves me and rejects evil.” Satan responds, “Yes, but he’s like that for a reason – because you’ve put a hedge of protection around him and blessed him. Let me have him, and he’ll surely curse you to your face.”
And so the wager begins – God gives Satan permission to disrupt (and even devastate) Job’s life to prove that Job won’t curse God even through hard times.
Job 1:10,11: Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?... But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.
If you strive to put God first in your life, God will surely put a hedge of protection around you. That doesn’t mean your life will be safe and comfortable all the way through. However, it does mean that only God can allow tragedy or difficult times to beset a righteous person. With that being said when tragedy appears, you know it’s not random. When tragedy strikes, God is still fully in control.
Hundreds of years after Job, King David seconds those ideas in Psalm 125.
Psalm 125: Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. But those who turn to crooked ways the Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.
David says that God is your fortress and your protection. When you don’t feel like God is surrounding you like the mountains surround Jerusalem remember you won’t be the first person to ever feel that way, and He is always with you. Rather than wandering away from God’s protection and taking stuff on our own shoulders, we can ask God what He’s doing in and through us and how we can become a part of what He’s doing in the situation.
Can you slow down enough to hear from God today? Do you believe that God is in control? Do you believe that God is enough? Is your trust found in Him alone?
Maybe you have been marching full speed ahead, with your agenda and with your information, only to find out that your expectations will never be met by what you’re trying to obtain. Trust God with everything. Don’t allow the chaos of life to infiltrate your thoughts, your prayers, or your faith. Remember: slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
‘Slow is smooth and smooth is fast’
This seemingly contradictory phrase originates in the Special Operations community, and its aim is to highlight the importance of consistency, accuracy, and control in the execution of tasks. This phrase is designed to SLOW DOWN the thinking and actions of these highly trained military personnel.
I know what you’re thinking, “Why in the world would you want the people responsible for guarding our freedoms to slow down?!” This mantra was developed for circumstances where speed and precision are both critical to the mission. Instead of rushing headlong into battle or allowing the chaos of a situation to flood into your thought process, this phrase reminds all that have trained with it to remain in control of their situation by keeping a level-headed approach and clear thought process, because when the bullets are flying, chaos is abounding and nothing is going right, people revert back to what they know most.
If our military personnel allow themselves to be swept up in the chaos of the surrounding situation, they’ll most likely make a rash decision that may result in loss of mission, or worse, loss of life.
When we rush, the brain’s prefrontal cortex becomes overloaded. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive functions such as decision making and problem solving. This reactive response can lead to errors, diminished creativity, and even burnout. On the other hand, when we slow down, we allow our brains to fully engage with the task at hand. This focused approach facilitates more robust neural connections, promoting learning and mastery. As proficiency grows, speed naturally follows. In a study conducted by Stanford University, researchers found that students who were taught to understand the concepts deeply, even if it meant learning at a slower pace initially, outperformed their peers in the long run.
Most of us will never face the chaos of war, but we will all face the chaos of life. Health fails, schedules don’t line up, relationships fracture. We must admit, sometimes these circumstances are self-inflicted, sometimes these are attacks of the enemy, and sometimes they are completely serendipitous.
My favorite bible story of chaos is the story of Job. The story of Job goes something like this: God says to Satan, “Have you seen my servant Job? He is a righteous man – he loves me and rejects evil.” Satan responds, “Yes, but he’s like that for a reason – because you’ve put a hedge of protection around him and blessed him. Let me have him, and he’ll surely curse you to your face.”
And so the wager begins – God gives Satan permission to disrupt (and even devastate) Job’s life to prove that Job won’t curse God even through hard times.
Job 1:10,11: Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?... But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.
If you strive to put God first in your life, God will surely put a hedge of protection around you. That doesn’t mean your life will be safe and comfortable all the way through. However, it does mean that only God can allow tragedy or difficult times to beset a righteous person. With that being said when tragedy appears, you know it’s not random. When tragedy strikes, God is still fully in control.
Hundreds of years after Job, King David seconds those ideas in Psalm 125.
Psalm 125: Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. But those who turn to crooked ways the Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.
David says that God is your fortress and your protection. When you don’t feel like God is surrounding you like the mountains surround Jerusalem remember you won’t be the first person to ever feel that way, and He is always with you. Rather than wandering away from God’s protection and taking stuff on our own shoulders, we can ask God what He’s doing in and through us and how we can become a part of what He’s doing in the situation.
Can you slow down enough to hear from God today? Do you believe that God is in control? Do you believe that God is enough? Is your trust found in Him alone?
Maybe you have been marching full speed ahead, with your agenda and with your information, only to find out that your expectations will never be met by what you’re trying to obtain. Trust God with everything. Don’t allow the chaos of life to infiltrate your thoughts, your prayers, or your faith. Remember: slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
No Comments