Less Hurry for More Life

In my previous post (Life in the Slow Lane: Why it Beats the Hustled Express Lane), I shared about a time when hurry got the best of me. My desire to “buy back” some time and expedite my errands had caused me to lose my cool at Whole Foods during a recent grocery run.

My experience at the grocery store revealed to me how a hurried lifestyle can affect my actions and reactions in various situations. The pressures of hurry contribute to an anxious spirit and a scarcity mindset as it relates to time. Which in turn, can cause me to be less patient and more quick-to-anger. Hurry leads to an attitude and perspective that tends to be more selfish than self-less. And it also creates restlessness and discontent.

In sum, hurry sucks the joy and peace right out of my life. And causes me to act out of character from my True Self.

My Conviction to Seek a Less Hurried Life

As of late, God has really been encouraging me to intentionally pursue a life with more peace and less hurry.

When I’m less rushed, I’m more able to hear God’s voice, receive His direction, and experience His joy and peace. When I’m operating from this place, it helps me live more fully present and maintain a grateful heart. I also find, I am less likely to be so self-involved and emotionally reactive to my circumstances.

In reflecting back on my experience in Whole Foods, I was convicted by the Spirit that my reaction was not Christ-like. Not in the least bit. I had allowed hurry to poison my spirit, which had caused me to act on my emotions and react out of character.

As I repented of my actions and prayed for God to help shape me into a more patient and less selfish person, I became aware of the various ways I’ve seen hurry and distraction creep in my my life (see my previous post for specific examples of this).

Opportunities for Improvement

God has been working on my patience for some time now, and He’s also been helping me strive after a more simplified lifestyle. I’ve seen improvements in these areas.

For example, I’m learning to be more slow to speak and less reactive in the heat of the moment. I am also much better at prioritizing “what matters most” and saying “no” to things that detract or distract from my ability to focus on such things.

However, while I have seen some improvements, I still have some work to do in order to lay claim to a life with less hustle and more peace. I could also stand to have a lot more patience.

As I began thinking about how to begin tackling a life with less hurry, I decided to turn to God and the Scriptures for guidance.

Jesus: Unhurried and Undistracted

When I study Jesus’ actions and his approach to life, it astounds me how unhurried He truly was. 

I mean, as the Son of God, Jesus had the most important missions…of all humans…of all time.  

Jesus came to earth not only to serve as a living sacrifice to save us all from our sins.  But also, to reveal the love of the Father. And serve as a living example of how we ought to live. 

Given His high calling and extremely important mission here on earth, Jesus must have packed his days to the max. To ensure He was able to live out his days to the fullest and make the biggest impact during his limited time on earth.

Right?

Uhhh, nope!

The Scriptures reveal something different:

Jesus was never rushed. 

Here are just a few examples of Jesus’ unhurried approach to life: 

• Jesus was around 30 years old before he actually started his ministry.  That means, he used 30 years of his 33 or so years here on earth seeking God, developing his relationship with the Father, and preparing for the mission God had planned for him.  Jesus learned how to be before he focused on what the Father had called him to do.
• Christ never complained about not having enough time and didn’t worry about the future. Jesus encouraged us not to worry about tomorrow’s problems and to focus our attention on the tasks of today. Christ encouraged folks to not worry about, or be upset by, the many things on their plates. And he reminded us that worry or stress cannot add a single hour to our day. (Matthew 6:25, Matthew 6:27, Philippians 4:6, Luke 10:41)
• He made time for God every single day. The Scriptures reveal how Jesus made a habit of waking up early in the morning to seek out solitude and silence and spend time with God in prayer. And frequently withdrew to seek out such times of prayerful silence with God throughout the day. (Mark 1:35, Mark 6:46-48, Luke 4:42, Luke 5:16).
• He didn’t allow the daily tasks to distract him from those who crossed his path. He was willing to stop and put his original plans on hold. Or to go out of his way to meet the needs of others. We see many examples of this throughout the gospels. Such as when He stopped to heal those who were physically or spiritually afflicted. 
• He intentionally spent time with his close friends and family members. Jesus was committed to his mission. He spent a great deal of his time during the time of his ministry preaching the gospel and ministering with his disciples. But he also saw the importance of rest and spending time with loved ones. In the Scriptures, we see Jesus spending time at weddings, celebrations, and dining with loved ones. We see Jesus developing intimate friendships with those in his closest circles (e.g., Peter, James, John) and also spending quality time with other friends (such as Lazzarus, Mary, and Martha). Jesus was a living example of how important it is to build community, develop meaningful connections, and spend time with loved ones.

Jesus’s life is the epitome of perfection.

He was a faultless model who revealed how we ought to live and the things worth prioritizing in life.

He showed us the things worth prioritizing and the things we should avoid. As well as the things worth pursuing with our utmost. 

Jesus’s lifestyle may not make much sense to our society’s hustled nature and achievement-oriented way of measuring success. Perhaps some may even be led to question his unhurried approach. For example, some may question:

“Wouldn’t Jesus have had a bigger impact if he hustled just a bit more?”

…or …

“Why didn’t Jesus start his ministry sooner?”

Perhaps it appears strange. It is indeed countercultural to the model today’s society provides for achieving success, pursuing happiness, and “living life to the fullest.”

But, I personally believe Jesus had his priorities straight.

He was also God in the flesh and ultimately knows what’s best for us.

So I believe it would do us well (and is in our best interests) to follow Christ’s example. To seek to understand to His teachings and study the way He lived. So we can aim to model our own lives after His own. 

Which includes: an unhurried approach to each day.

I’ve Got Some Work To Do…How About You?

The personal examples I shared above and in my previous post reveal how I often fall victim to the pressures of hurry and distraction.

My impatience displayed at Whole Foods the other afternoon only highlighted the fact that I still have some work to do in order to attain a slow, unhurried life that’s more closely modeled after Christ’s example.

Next Steps: Weeding Out Hurry & Distraction

I have been working with God to help me identify the areas in my life wherein I am most hurried. So that I can then weed out hurry and distraction from my life.  

God has also helped me realize the quest for more peace does not just mean less hurry. It also means incorporating more silence, solitude, and rest.

In my next post, I will be sharing examples of some of the primary areas where I find myself distracted, along with specific ideas for eliminating such distractions.

My hope is that some of my examples will resonate with you and motivate you to begin weeding out hurry and distraction from your own life.

In addition, I will also be presenting various ideas to begin practicing slowing down and incorporating more rest. Which in turn, will help in adopting a less hurried lifestyle. 

Stay tuned for more on that in an upcoming post.