The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Andi Merrill / Worship Arts Pastor and Pulse Ministry Director
“For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36
This past May I was looking through Audible for something to get my hands on to use up my “free” (aka: paid for by my monthly subscription) book credit. Like Amazon and Netflix and so many other convenience apps out there, Audible was giving me its suggestions for my next audio book based on my history of listening, and I came upon a title I had heard about but had never read, and in this season, it peaked my attention and curiosity. The book is by a pastor named John Mark Comer called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. It was inspired by a famous quote from Dallas Willard, “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
See, I’m NOTORIOUS for hurry, and I do get a lot done in a day. I have a lot on my plate most weeks, as so many of us do, and being in a “state of hurry” feels like the only way to make a dent in the never-ending to do list. BUT this past year, if I’m honest, I’ve felt my soul dipping, clouding over with distraction and brain noise that doesn’t quit. I made the statement out loud just a handful of weeks ago that I can’t do another year like the one I just came through, and that’s largely because I feel like I’ve lost a bit of myself and some of my connection to God. That’s a scary place to be! “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day,” said Willard. I’m feeling that! So, I picked up Comer’s book as my read for the month in Audible.
The main point of the book is that frantic busyness and technology are the greatest threats to our spiritual and emotional health. To experience a deep, peaceful relationship with God, Comer suggests restructuring your life to emulate the slow, unhurried pace of Jesus. Jesus stepped away from ministry OFTEN. And He only stepped into ministry after having spent sufficient time alone ... with the Father. We see this pattern over and over in the Gospels. Before Jesus’ ministry officially started, he spent 40 days in the wilderness (Mark 1:12-13). Before choosing His 12 disciples, Luke 6:12-13 says Jesus withdrew to pray. Multiple times throughout Scripture we are told that Jesus got up early to pray in a solitary place “because a large number of people were constantly seeking Him for healing” (Mark 1:35). Jesus got interrupted often and He never seemed hurried or bothered by it. He had enough margin in life and ministry to account for it. Oh, how I want to be that kind of minister!
I know that living an unhurried life will take time and need intentional steps from me. I’m wired to work pretty hard and fast, but “what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul”? (Mark 8:36). I decided to take my first step toward living an unhurried life. I got rid of almost all alerts and badges that come up on my phone because I realized that knowing emails were coming in made me feel frantic inside, and that didn’t resolve until emails were answered. Same with texts, and even badges popping up on various apps. Now I look at things as I WANT to, not in a state of feeling like I have to immediately. It’s made me more calm! It’s a small step, but it’s something because I desperately want to live an unhurried life, to be a little more like Jesus, and to put my soul and my relationship with Him first!