Why Am I in Such a Hurry?
Learning to slow down
Mornings are hectic (most of the time). With two little girls running around the house, it’s difficult to get them ready for the day while my wife gets ready, too. Thankfully, I have more than enough time to get myself ready after all three of them leave for the day. You’d think that’s when I have time to slow down, to not rush, to take my precious time.
But most of the time I don’t. I rush to get ready. I quickly put my work clothes on, scarf down my breakfast, and head out the door with plenty of time to spare. There’s usually no lollygagging around on my part. Sometimes I catch myself going so fast and have to intentionally slow down. On more than one occasion I ask myself, “Why are you in such a hurry?”
Is it wrong to be someone who lives life quickly? Not necessarily, but it has different effects that are certainly negative. Going so fast all the time heightens my anxiety and increases my impatience. There are moments I am sitting at my desk and just feel like I am doing things with urgency for no reason. Again, “Why are you in such a hurry?”
I don’t know why I’m in such a hurry. It’s natural for me to do things hastily. But my need to be in a hurry directly impacts my life as a Christian.
When I get in a rush for no reason, different things are neglected. I don’t start my day with reading God’s Word because it doesn’t really cross my mind. I don’t pray as much in the morning or during the day because my mind is elsewhere. And get don’t me wrong: I know how to slow down. I know how to not be in a rush. Some will say maybe I have ADHD. Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. To me, it doesn’t matter. Either way I need to learn to heed the words of Psalm 46:10, '“Be still, and know that I am God.”
My biggest issue with slowing down is that it leads to impatience. Sometimes I feel like I’m in such a rush on my way to work that I get irritated with other drivers because they don’t feel my sense of urgency—even when I live five minutes from work and am rarely ever late. Ultimately, I need to learn to not be in a rush because God is not in a rush.
Jon Bloom, co-founder of Desiring God, wrote:
We live in an age of fast transportation, fast computers, fast Internet access, fast food, fast videos, and fast social-media scrolling — and they’re all only getting faster. This is shaping our assumptions. We expect to be able to do everything at faster speeds and greater volume.
But this is not a biblical assumption. If we look at creation, redemptive history, and our own spiritual growth, we see a God who is not in a hurry. We see a God whose patience almost exasperates us at times. If we look carefully, we see that the most important things take a long time to grow and mature. They can’t be rushed.
This is painfully true of our spiritual progress. There are no life-hacks for holiness.1
My need to be in a rush is directly linked to my impatience, which hinders my growth in holiness. My desire to be more like Jesus is stifled many times because I don’t slow down.
I am not saying it’s time to be late everywhere. I am also not saying I need to not experience a sense of urgency in the appropriate moments. I am saying that I need the Lord’s help in slowing down, in taking my time, in trusting in God’s timing of things. I need to read slowly, pray slowly, and just . . . slow down.
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/four-reasons-to-slow-down