Slowly, in step with my wife ...

This morning, as I was meditating on Genesis 33, I was brought to focus on verse 14: "You go on ahead, my brother; I will go slowly, keeping pace with the livestock and the children, until I meet you at Seir."  While meditating on this verse, I wrote this short meditation: "Parents should keep pace with their children, so that they may go slowly before them (see Genesis 33:14, NIV).  Then, another thought came to me when I ran a marathon with my wife.  The reason is that I could have run faster than her, but I ran slowly, 'keeping pace' with her.  My wife also knows this fact.  So, when we used to run together, she would sometimes say to me, "You could have run faster than me and gotten ahead, but you had a hard time running with me."  This memory came to mind as I was meditating on Genesis 33:14 in Korean Modern Bible.

One of my most memorable memories was when I ran my first half-marathon with my wife.  We were running about 9 miles side by side, and for the first time in my life, almost all the muscles in my legs were cramping (I had cramps when I came to the US and started playing basketball), so I couldn't run with her.  So, I said to my wife, 'I'll walk a bit, so you run first.  I said something like, 'I'll follow you soon' and my wife later told me that she believed me and ran hard (fast) because she thought I would follow her.  Haha.  My wife didn't know that I had that much cramp in both my legs.  Haha.  So, I walked like a turtle for the remaining 3 miles and barely made it to the goal line, where my wife was waiting for me at the goal line (it must have taken over an hour) and was cheering me on (not knowing how much pain I was in.  Haha).  Eventually, two white men from the paramedics helped me across the goal line from both sides and I collapsed on the grass.  Haha.  The reason I can't forget this experience is because it remains a trauma to me. Haha.  While meditating on the Bible verse for modern people in Genesis 33:14, this memory came to mind and I realized that of course parents should walk slowly, keeping pace with their children, but I also ran slowly, keeping pace with my wife.  I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back, I realized that it could have been more difficult.  I think the reason is that although my running ability (?) is faster than my wife's, I have to self-control not to fully demonstrate my ability because I have to run slowly, keeping pace with her.  Even so, looking at our life together for over 25 years, not only is it about running, but my personality is impatient and my wife is a bit easygoing.  For someone with an impatient personality like me to adjust to my wife's easygoing personality, I am certain that we would never have been able to get to where we are today without a certain amount of God's grace and self-control, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Haha.  Well, it's not just our personalities.  There were so many times when my wife and I didn't get along.  Hahaha.  My wife and I are that different. Of course, my wife must have tried hard to keep up with me.  For example, I've been bothered by the fact that my wife doesn't turn off the lights and doesn't close the door often, so I can't tell you how many times I've told her this for the past 25 years. LOL.  Now, my wife is much more likely to close the door before she leaves the room. LOL.  She even asks me, "Should I close the door?" when she leaves. LOL.  Of course, there are still times when she forgets and leaves the door open, so if I tell her, she goes back up the stairs and closes the door. LOL.  She's been trained to this extent(?) that she helps me close the door. LOL.

In Genesis 33:14, where Jacob says he will "slowly go, matching the pace with the children," the principle of matching pace applies not just in the context of marriage or parent-child relationships but also in the relationship between a pastor and congregation, among others.  As a husband and pastor, it’s important to reflect on how we can lead others slowly and gently, adjusting to their pace, which aligns with God’s guidance in leading and caring for others.