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Learn to Un-Hurry

Hope Ministries - Columnist
Posted 5/29/20

When we read about the life of Jesus, we never see him in a hurry. He walks wherever He needs to go, teaching His disciples important life lessons along the way. He is never hurrying to a meeting or …

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Learn to Un-Hurry

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When we read about the life of Jesus, we never see him in a hurry. He walks wherever He needs to go, teaching His disciples important life lessons along the way. He is never hurrying to a meeting or late for an appointment. He's not overwhelmed by the multitude of people who crowd around Him hoping for a miracle. Jesus was present in every moment, which increased His capacity to meet the needs before Him each day. He knew the secret of being un-hurried, a secret and life-lesson we need to discover.

Hurry cuts off our connection to God and to others. When we have too much to do and default to hurry mode, we become stressed, overwhelmed, distracted and irritated by interruptions. We are quicker to get angry, criticize others, have bad attitudes, and forget about being thankful.

Hurry is incompatible with the three components of who Jesus is - love, joy and peace. Love is patient, which requires time. Hurry and busyness rob us of the capacity to love God and others, which is God's greatest commands. Because the speed of love is slow, we must learn to walk with God, and not constantly be running ahead. Life is full of interruptions, and we cannot be present with others and available to meet their needs if we are only focused on what we are hurrying to do next.

You cannot constantly be rushing and in a hurry and still maintain a joyful attitude. The secret to having joy is to be present in the moment. The more present we are, the more grateful we can be for what is, and the more joy we can tap into. The past is over and the future is not guaranteed, so all we have is the present here and now. The more moments we can be thankful for and surrender to God, the more joy we can experience.

Hurry is also incompatible with peace. As we race through our days, trying to cram more into our already overfull lives, we deprive ourselves of the peace that God offers to us. Our culture looks down upon being slow, and as we compare ourselves to others who are perpetually busy, we feel inferior and think we need to be doing more. But that is not the way of peace.

Love, joy and peace are more than emotions. They are a way of life and a condition of our hearts. They are what we need in order to look more like Jesus. Jesus invites us into a life of rest, not just for our weary bodies, but also for our tired, burned out souls. He calls us to get into a light and easy yoke with Him and allow Him to carry our heavy burdens and pull our heavy loads. (See Matthew 11:28-30.)

As we learn to un-hurry, to slow down, to walk through life with Jesus by our sides, we will learn to love as He does. We will not miss the joy moments that we rush by each day, and we will live our days with a peace that the world cannot give.

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 482-5300.

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