Will You Return to Hurrying?
+ Quotes from The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Symptoms of Disease
Do you have any of these symptoms?
- Irritability
- Hypersensitivity
- Restlessness
- Workaholism
- Lack of Self-Care
- Slippage of Spiritual Disciplines
No, they’re not new symptoms of COVID-19 (not yet anyway).
These symptoms instead point toward hurry sickness, per Pastor John Mark Comer.
Prior to March 2020, most of us thought we couldn’t slow down. We were in a hurry because we had stuff to do. Even when hurry robbed us of contentment. Even when we hurt others with our hurrying.
Back in February, I read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World. I jotted down a few good points that John Mark Comer made.
But honestly—and ironically? I rushed through it.
Slow It Down
And then the world shook. We were forced to slow down. (Most of us anyway; essential workers had to speed up even more.)
It had to become mandatory for most of us to lay down our hurry. Businesses had to shut. Work had to cease. Churches had to close their doors to make us take a breath.
Our idol of productivity had to crash.
We were forced to confront our hurry sickness by sitting with ourselves.
And the book on hurry? I’ve gone back through it—and I’ve experienced a slower life now—and I see far more wisdom in it.
Love Has a Speed
What have we learned from living more simple lives?
Hopefully we’ve learned more about love as we’ve eliminated hurry. Comer says love has a speed. And it’s not hurry.
Comer writes,
“Hurry and love are incompatible. All my worst moments as a father, a husband, and a pastor, even as a human being, are when I’m in a hurry—late for an appointment, behind on my unrealistic to-do list, trying to cram too much into my day.”
If we want to walk with God, we best stop running.
“There’s a reason people talk about ‘walking’ with God, not ‘running’ with God. It’s because God is love.”
The question now going forward is: Will we add hurry back into our lives again? Or will we maintain a slower pace of life?
I’m aiming for slower. This is my year to linger.
“Very little can be done with hurry that can’t be done better without it. Especially our lives with God. And even our work for God.”
I know the pace will pick up some. It already has. But I don’t want to slide back into hurry. Because I believe this to be true:
“Hurry kills relationships. Love takes time; hurry doesn’t have it. It kills joy, gratitude, appreciation; people in a rush don’t have time to enter the goodness of the moment.”
My time with Jesus can’t be rushed. My time with others shouldn’t be rushed either. If Jesus didn’t frantically rush around when he was here, neither should we.
Let’s not return to hurrying. Stay slow to gain more. Eliminate hurry for your spiritual health.
Our lives are too valuable to be rushed.
Have you enjoyed a less hurried pace? Is your life already picking up speed again? Share in the comments.
My thanks to Net Galley, WaterBrook & Multnomah
for the review copy of this book
Thanks for the review Lisa. I heard about John Mark and his book from listening to Carey Nieuwhof’s podcast. He was interesting. I might have to check out this book.
Yep, this steps on most of our toes. I remember writing what I liked most about summer was the slower pace. Then it was forced on us in the winter and spring months. As you note, we were forced to lay down hurry.
Love this thought, “If we want to walk with God, we best stop running.” If this pandemic has taught me anything, I hope it’s to savor every moment in life and with the Lord.
I’ve truly embraced this time of slowing down even more than I expected, Lisa. I’ve never been a fan of having to rush around, even though I had to do so when I was working, raising my kids, etc. Give me peace and quiet, lingering thoughts, and an unhurried walk with the Lord. We need to savor life, not gobble it down.
Blessings!
As these days fall behind us
like some repellent crime,
will we throw beneath the bus
what we have learned of time?
Will our steps now quicken
in rhythm to the beating drums
that can now but sicken
the better folk that we’ve become?
Or in stern deliberation
will we step out of the stream,
to see that destination
is nothing but a dream
and that the meaning of our days
is the journey spent in praise?
Great reflection—and question—Andrew! I pray we learn from these days and focus on praise rather than returning to hurry.
Ha! so funny that you rushed through the book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”. I am sure I would do the same. Good for you for taking another look after we were all forced to slow down. Love does take time. When I think of my worst times as a parent, it was when I was stressed, rushed, and in a hurry. Loved your last line: “Our lives are too valuable to be rushed.” So true!
I tend to get irritable when I rush–and also make more mistakes, which leads to more irritability. What I am struggling with now is what to eliminate so as to give the most important things the most time.
Oh yes! Linger, slow, ponder, time, love, calm, and so much to gain in the slowing down of aspects of our lives. I may feel like napping but God still has work to do at the heart level. I may have been busy with stuff to do, but God’s work in me is not busy-work. His work is genuine and deep, oh that I allow Him to have me in His hands. Great reminder, Lisa. Thanks.
Hi, Lisa.
I love this…”Our idol of productivity had to crash.” I hope we as a community of people have a healthier perspective on who and what is important. There are blessings in the barrenness.
Peace and grace,
Tammy
Lisa,
This is so true: Love and hurry are incompatible. I’ve been on both ends of this…sometimes loving and sometimes hurrying.
Blessings,
Dolly
P.S. I enjoyed your Ps 84 post.
This is my last week of a slower pace as my husband returns to work and I return to babysitting and appointments. Although I LOVE babysitting and am so thankful to be back with my grandchildren after two whole months away, after the extreme busyness of today in what has turned out to be a pre-Covid 19 week as far as resuming a lot of activities, I was already missing the slower pace of the pandemic. Today, in particular, I haven’t stopped since I opened my eyes this morning. I am burnt out! lol.
It was a good wake up call and I need to pray and assess moving forward, how many different directions to allow myself to be pulled in so as not to go back to the hecticness of life before Covid.
Thanks for sharing.
I have heard great things about this book. I will have to check it out.
I really enjoyed this book. It was challenging and eye-opening. I read it a few months before COVID-19, so there is plenty I can and should still process. I have been trying to place more boundaries and limits on social media and tech use in general, increase time of solitude and slowing down, and trying to figure out how I can make Sundays more Sabbath-like rather than a catch-up day. Great post and a great reminder for me to look back at some of my notes from the book since I have not been very consistent with these concepts the past two weeks and am already seeing symptoms of hurry
Oh, what a question this is! It’s a question for our time, for the church, and (gulp) for me. I tend to live on the slower side but, the truth is, its’s still too hurried. So much to consider. Thanks so much for your thoughts and for getting Comer’s book in front of me again. It’s on my list!
I know, I know, oh how I have relearned this lesson over and over again. Yet hurry pulls me back in so quickly I have to intentionally slow down. This is one practice I am not very good at, yet. but will keep trying.