I don’t wear a watch. Don’t want to. But I have to say: I am fascinated by this one: The Slow Watch. It’s a watch that doesn’t measure seconds or minutes like other watches — it only measures hours. Why?

On the surface, the Slow Watch seems so out of place in our fast-paced world. But the designers have a bigger purpose: they want us to remember that what we do shouldn’t be calculated by minutes or even seconds — but by the choices we make. In a hamster-wheel world, the Slow Watch is a reminder to slow down. To live life. To be intentional.

All of this isn’t enough to get me to buy a Slow Watch — especially because they start at $270! But it is a reminder that my day — my life — isn’t about rushing from one activity to the next.

To that end, Randy Gariss has written a very helpful article to remind us to live our lives on purpose. With intention. And direction. Gariss calls this a “whole life” — a “full and complete” one. You can find the article here. In fact, if you only have five minutes to read before you have to rush on to your next activity, click through to Gariss and leave my blog in the pixillated dust. It’s okay. I understand.

For the three of you who are still here, let me simply say a few words about what Gariss writes. He gives us ten areas that he considers essential to living a life of wholeness. I can’t say that I disagree with any of the areas he mentions; they are all important. But let me mention five of them:

1. Worship. Wholeness starts here. Especially when we realize that worship isn’t simply about Sundays, but about a wholehearted pursuit of God. I want this to be what defines me. And shapes me.
2. Friendship. Every one of us, no matter our personality type, or our maturity level, needs good and godly friends to walk with us through life. The older I get, the truer I find this to be.
3. Work. If our lives are going to be full and complete, then we must come to grips with what most of us spend most of our time doing. Work is a gift; work is a challenge; work is an opportunity; work is a reflection of who we are. Not all of us get to work at what we love, but all of us have to (in some sense) learn to love what we work at. Otherwise, life becomes about clock-watching — and wondering why this dang Slow Watch is moving … so … slow.
4. Rest. This is vital. Rest is not only how our bodies renew; it’s also how our souls renew. Without rest and solitude, life becomes a blur. And a meaningless one at that.
5. Creativity. This ties in to number one. If our lives are ordered around worship (that is to say, a healthy relationship with God), then creativity is the natural outflow. If I am in a proper relationship with my Creator, then, as one created in his image, I reflect that creativity. And my unique reflection of the image of my Creator is demonstrated in the unique creation that flows through my hands, my heart, my life: And in the God-infused creativity of my life, I come to realize: for this, I was made. To use the creative gifts a creative God has given to me. Which, to me, sounds a lot better than just rushing through my day getting the next thing done.

I’m ready for a “whole-er” life — one lived more intentionally, and faithfully. How about you?