Hurry Sick! – Slow down
There is nothing new under the sun….
I am so tried! Have you ever had one of those days, weeks, or years when it seems like you can’t catch up? When there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done? all of this can be contributed to us trying to do much. Our world is so performance driven that it asks us what are you doing for me, get all you can and who cares who you hurt in the process. we end up hurting those we love most dearly. that is why many people who have spent their lives “climbing the corporate ladder” end up losing their families in the process, when we spend so much time focusing on one thing something has to miss our and it is usually our relationships mainly in two areas. our family and our relationship with God.
God wants a personal relationship with us. He modeled this in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ best quality , besides His deity, is his interest in people. when asked to sum up the all the law and the prophets he said simply it is about relationships. Love God and Love People. Hurry is the enemy of love and is of the devil. When we are hurried all the time we end up skimming our life instead of actually living it. in John 10:10 Jesus said ” I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.”
The way we access that abundant live is to pugged into the source. the way we get plugged into the source is to spend time with Him. But again in our fast paced world there never seems to be enough time to just sit and be in His presence. It was actually at Jesus’ busiest and most important times in His life that he went away to a place of solitude. Just after his baptism he went to the desert, were he was tempted by the devil. Remember the bad storm and Jesus is resting, solitude. After he learned of John the Baptist death Matthew 14:13 says “he with drew from there to be alone.” After the feeding of the 5000 instead of celebrate the miracle he just performed Matthew14:23 instead tells us “he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” And in the garden of Gethsemane he leaves the disciples to go into solitude and pray.
The cure for Hurry sickness is what Ortberg calls “slowing” and it really is just like it sounds it is slowing down. It involves cultivating patience by deliberately putting ourselves in situations where we simply have to wait. Such as driving in the slow lane, getting in the longest line at the grocery store, or not wearing a watch or looking at the time all day. We will discover that we can survive without hurry.
a few things to try to slow down
drive in the slow lane.
get in the longest line at the grocery store
don;t wear a watch for a whole day.
I need this. my prayer is that if any one reads this they will see the importance of slowing and solitude.
God Bless,
Brandon
