What's The Hurry

Everyone is in a hurry…hurry to eat, to work, to play, even to worship. We want our entertainment in quick, rapid sound bytes. If you are on the Internet what matters most is your connection speed and the time it takes to download whatever site you are on (thanks for waiting long enough to see this!) This is especially true with the holiday season. We can get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. The danger is that we miss the whole point of living. If we don't slow down we can't absorb. If we can't absorb we can't benefit. Meaningful things take time. This hurried way of living is particularly distressing for us as believers.John Ortberg pinpoints this in his article, Taking Care of Busyness."For most of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. We will just skim our lives instead of actually living them."


But I Can't Do Nothing!The flipside is a real danger that if we slow down, or even stop and do nothing once in a while we will become overwhelmed with guilt. It feels wrong to so many of us to be still or to stop "doing". So, we jump back into the race. We fall into the trap of activity being the point, rather than what our activity should result in. Take a lesson from the farmer. Time to plant, time to grow, time to harvest. This process cannot be rushed. It requires persistent, dedicated effort and if the necessary time is not taken it will not bear fruit. Or worse, we'll attempt to harvest before the fruit is ripe. Ugh, sour grapes! This hurried way of doing things has even infiltrated our evangelism. We rush people into accepting Jesus. You must get saved now-don't wait! It's unwise to delay, but the solution is not rushing a decision. We must take our time with the truly important things. Maybe we forget how powerful God's message is. Once it sinks in and is honestly considered most people don't hesitate to make a decision. If we do give them enough space let's be cautious not to rush them headlong into growth. Lead with confidence and God's timing.
Be Here Now A wonderful way to slow down and escape the "hurry trap" is to simply be in the now-the sacred present moment. Young children know how to do this. The older we get the more impatient we become. The desire for instant gratification swells within. We want more and more faster and faster.

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