I’ve recently started reading “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer and his words resonate so deeply with me.
We all have our own story of trying to stay sane in the day and age of iPhone and Wi-Fi and the twenty-four-hour news cycle and urbanization and ten-lane freeways and soul-crushing traffic and nonstop noise and a frenetic ninety-miles-per-hour life of go, go, go…
John Mark Comer
Yes. Exactly. Go, go, go.
The thing is, while the rest of the world stopped during the pandemic, we kept on working and filming and taking weekly covid tests while teaching virtual school and putting out fire after fire because product was delayed and sub-contractors were quarantined and, and, and… Among the stress and fear and constant changing news on the topic of Covid precautions and treatments, we just had to keep going out the door each day. And, while I know our story doesn’t even come close to comparing to essential workers or teachers, I do know that I am still, like everyone across the globe, processing the past year.
And, now, in our little corner of the world, life has been slowly going back to a new normal all around us. Our kids’ schedules seem busier than ever, our work schedules are the most demanding we can ever remember, berry season is on the horizon with pressing needs that can’t be ignored… and, the thing is, it’s all REALLY good. So many good things are happening. I never want to sound ungrateful or unappreciative but this book is wrecking me. It’s calling to a deep longing in my spirit for stillness and real rest.
Corrie Ten Boom once said that if the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy. There’s truth in that. Both sin and busyness have the exact same effect – they cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul.
John Mark Comer
A sentence like that jumps right off the page and straight to my soul. One more, just for good measure:
To walk with Jesus is to walk with a slow, unhurried pace. Hurry is the death of prayer and only impedes and spoils our work. It never advances it.
Walter Adams, spiritual director to C.S. Lewis
Did I mention I haven’t even finished the first chapter? Yet, I’m being forced to face the reality of this season of my life: I need to slow down. The irony of this is the fact that I’m typing these words in a hurry, as I have a conference call in fifteen minutes and have to be at a job-site in forty-five minutes. I’m still in pj’s and Luke is sitting in my lap eating cereal. I need to get him dressed and get myself ready so we can be out the door in exactly twenty-five minutes in order to be on time to the site visit. No doubt, we will be running late and rushing out the door.
But.
Even in the midst of a never-ending onslaught of demands on my time, I know I can find pockets of stillness. I don’t need to run away to a private island. We don’t need to quit our jobs and pull our kids from sports teams. I simply need to relearn the art of abiding. I need to turn off my phone for the day (and deal with the backlog of messages and emails later) in order to truly engage in the sacredness of a Sabbath. I need to start the day in prayer, asking for wisdom and discernment over the needs of the day ahead. I need to ask God to show me what is a priority and what can fall off the list. I need to empower my handful of trusted friends who have come alongside me to make all.the.things happen. I need to turn over responsibilities and tasks that someone else can handle. I need to wake up early to ensure I have time in the Word at the start of the day (because filling my spiritual bucket each morning is the only way to Abide throughout the day). I need to pause and look my kiddos in the eyes when they are talking. I need to take deep breaths when I’m overwhelmed with all on my plate and list reasons for gratitude aloud. Because, when I’m in a posture of gratitude, my soul simply cannot be clouded by discontentment.
I think this journey of eliminating hurry is a lifelong one. There will be more seasons of overwhelm where I need a reminder like I’m receiving from John Mark Comer’s book. And, there will be seasons where intentionally slow living comes easily and rest is tangible. I know I was directed to this book so that I can stop in the midst of this season of busyness in order to reset and redirect my heart.
I hope this reminder is helpful to someone else, as well. I’ll leave you with these words from John Ortberg:
Take a deep breath. Put your cell phone away. Let your heart slow down. Let God take care of the world.
John Ortberg, forward, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Amen.
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