Why slowing down might be the most countercultural—and fruitful—thing you do today.

If you’re anything like me, your day is ruled by a calendar. Meetings. Calls. Google reminders. Maybe even time-blocking your lunch break because otherwise, it disappears.

I often measure success by how much I can fit into a day. But, as I recently learned from a conversation between Dr. Greg Bottaro and Deacon Bill White, this isn’t how all cultures view time. In fact, among the Lakota people, there’s something called “Indian time”—a way of approaching the day that isn’t about control or urgency but presence and respect.

That phrase—“Indian time”—has often been mocked or used dismissively. But what if, instead of being “behind schedule,” where we’re supposed to be is exactly where our feet are? What my western approach to time is actually anti-Christian and “Indian Time” or “Island Time” looks a lot like “Jesus Time”?

As Deacon Bill said: “The most important time is the time I have with you right now.”

Jesus Was Never in a Hurry

Jesus walked almost everywhere. He lingered with the sick. He stopped for blind beggars, bleeding women, and curious tax collectors. His public ministry lasted just three years—but they were three years of deep presence.

“Whatever I have planned can wait,” Deacon Bill said. “Because this is the most important time.”

It reminded me of something else Deacon Bill shared. In Lakota culture, greeting someone isn’t transactional. It’s intentional. A native man might walk out of his way just to shake your hand. He’s not trying to “get somewhere.” You are the somewhere.

That’s a posture of the heart that runs directly counter to modern life.

Reclaiming the Present Moment

What would happen if we slowed down? If we started treating each person in front of us—our spouse, our child, our coworker, the barista—as if this moment with them could never be repeated?

What if we believed God could speak just as powerfully in a delayed conversation as in a scheduled holy hour?

The Lakota aren’t the only culture to approach time this way. In the podcast, Dr. Greg mentioned “Haitian time,” “island time”—and the irony that maybe it’s us in the modern West who have distorted time, not them.

We live in a world obsessed with moving faster. But maybe what we really need is to become more present.

Three Ways to Practice Sacred Slowness

Here are a few simple invitations I’ve taken from Deacon Bill’s wisdom—and I offer them to you:

1. Unplugged Greetings
   Next time you talk to someone, put the phone away. Look them in the eye. Let your full attention be a gift.
   
2. Protect a Daily “Now”
   Block off 15 minutes where you don’t check the clock. Use it for prayer, quiet, a walk—something that helps you re-enter presence.
   
3. Treat Interruptions as Invitations
   What if that unexpected phone call, delay, or toddler tantrum isn’t a disruption, but a divine appointment?
   

Deacon Bill said something else that struck me. He shared that in Lakota spirituality, the most important time is the present because you can never get it back again.

That’s not just cultural wisdom. That’s deeply Christian. That’s incarnational.

And it has me asking a hard question: If I really believe God is with me in the present moment… why am I always rushing to the next one?