Ruthlessly Eliminate Hurry

In 1930 a British economist, John Maynard Keynes, predicted that by 2030, the work week for people in “progressive countries” would be cut drastically, maybe to as few as 15 hours per week. Then in the 1960’s It doesn’t look like we are going to make it. Instead of working less, Americans are working longer hours, often times not taking all of the vacation days they earn, and then wondering why we aren’t happy, why we are anxious, and why our blood pressure is up.

Theologian Robert Banks points out that our society is rich in things, but poor in time. Hurry is a sickness that plagues us. And, believe me, I am right up there with the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland when it comes to time. You remember her helpful advice, “Now here, you see. It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that.” And it isn’t a new problem.

Jesus and the disciples were followed by crowds of needy people. But Jesus wasn’t hurried. He drew away and prayed, connecting with God. He had time to welcome children and notice when a woman touched the hem of his cloak. He had time to notice the crippled and the blind. He had time to have compassion.

This week I listened to a Podcast interview of John Ortberg. John and his wife, Nancy, are both authors, both ministers, and parents to three children. They both served on staff at Willow Creek Church in Chicago for nearly a decade, a church that at the time averaged 27,000 attendees on a weekend.

He was telling about a conversation he had with professor and philosopher Dallas Willard, just after they moved to Chicago to serve at Willow Creek. He says he “described the pace of life” to Dallas this way, “The church where I serve tends to move at a fast clip. I also told him about our rhythms of family life: we are in the van-driving, soccer-league, piano lesson, school-orientation-night years. I told him about the present condition of my heart, as best I could discern it. What did I need to do to be spiritually healthy?”

After a long pause, he said at last, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” To which John replied, “Okay, I’ve written that one down.” Then, a little impatiently said, “That’s a good one. Now what else is there?” John recalls, “I had many things to do, and this was a long-distance call, so I was anxious to cram as many units of spiritual wisdom into the least amount of time possible.”

Another long pause.

“There is nothing else. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”

God is not hurried. Peter, writing to Christians who were anxious for the second coming, reminds them and us that to God, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is patiently bringing his Kingdom into this world, but he doesn’t want to leave us out. So, he is waiting on us to be ready to come in. Every day is a gift to us from God. Every day is an opportunity to be more like Jesus. Time is an opportunity. William Barclay writes, “It is only against the background of eternity that things appear in their true proportions and assume their real value.”

In Advent, we place our lives against the background of eternity and prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord. How important is your hurry against the background of eternity? How important is your relationship with your children, your spouse, your family, your friends, your God?

As we begin our Advent journey, I invite you to breathe and create space for God in your life. Take a deep breath. Breathe in God’s peace, and breathe out the world’s hurry. (Time of Prayer and Quiet)