Suffering from Hurry Sickness?

Do you ever feel like your life is spinning out of control? Do you ever think “there are not enough hours in the day?” Do you find yourself eating a lot of fast food, or constantly driving in the fast lane, or perpetually pressing the boundaries of the speed limit?

Sometimes, it seems like we are obsessed with going fast or faster. We are always in a hurry; so much in fact, it has become a kind of sickness… hurry sickness. We are all concerned about getting COVID, but I wonder if we should be concerned about getting hurry sickness. Life can be frantic and busy. People, jobs, responsibilities demand our time and attention. There is a lot of noise in our lives… and some of it is really toxic. What can we do? Embrace the practice of pacing!

Jesus was a busy man. Once He began His public ministry, His life got crazy busy. People wanted to hear Him teach; they wanted to see Him heal and perform miracles; His disciples needed His guidance and direction. Jesus had plenty of work to do and lots of people were clamoring for His attention.

Through it all, Jesus never seemed to be in a huge hurry. That is not to say He didn’t value time, because I’m sure He did, especially in light of the fact that His public ministry lasted only 3 years; but despite all that He had to do, all who needed His attention, all that was on His plate, Jesus found time for solitude, to be still, to be quiet, to rest and to pray. Jesus embraced the practice of pacing. And we can too! Pacing and slowing is the remedy for hurry and busyness in our lives. The practice of pacing will enable us to better draw near to God and for Him to draw near to us!

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; Psalm 46:10

God commands us to be still! God doesn’t suggest that we be still; He commands us to be still! Why do you think He does that? In this context, it is because He wants us to get to know Him. He wants to show His might and His power. The truth is that when we are hurrying through life at a break neck pace, we can’t possibly get to know Him; we will never take the time to listen to Him, to watch and wait for Him to work in our lives.

Do you know what happens when we slow enough to know God?

When we slow enough to know God, we begin to fully trust Him and HIs plan for our lives. If we don’t know God, how can we possibly trust Him? How can we really understand and embrace His plans for our life?
When we slow enough to know God, we discover that He will fight life’s battles for us! 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14. What an amazing promise! But it comes with a clear premise… be still! Maybe you are facing an emotional, physical, relational battle today. You are afraid and unsure what to do next. Would you be still and let God come alongside you and fight for you?
When we slow down enough to know God, we realize how much He loves us!9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9. This is the amazing truth of the gospel message… God loves you and me! He wants us to know the depth of His love for us. He loves us so much that He would sacrifice His only Son so that we might have life. Would you pause and be still to know and appreciate the depth of God’s love for you?

Jesus embraced the practice of pacing and we can too! He knew how important it was to slow down. No doubt, because He was fully God and fully human, He experienced the same pressures and stressors of life that we experience; but He never let life get away from Him. He often withdrew to a solitary, quiet place where He could be still and pray.

When life got really frantic for Jesus and His disciples, so much they didn't even have time to eat, look at what He said to them… “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. Mark 6:31-32

Even with all this demand for his attention, Jesus recognized the need to get away to a quiet place to rest. He knew his disciples needed that too. So they carved out that much needed time in their packed schedule to be still. Jesus practiced pacing.

How can we practice pacing in our lives?

Carve out space for solitude daily! Solitude will give us a chance to focus and pray. Solitude will give you a chance to study and reflect on God’s Word. Solitude will give you a chance to disconnect from toxic rhetoric that can steal your joy. Solitude will give you a chance to shut out the noise of this world and to hear from God. If we don’t remove ourselves from the noise of the world or we will get destroyed by it. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2. We can’t be transformed if we aren’t being still enough to know God.
Celebrate the Sabbath weekly as a day of rest and worship. 27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27. The Sabbath is God’s gift to you! Honor it weekly to be still, to celebrate, worship and refresh!
Retreat regularly to recharge! Vacations can do that for us; but sometimes we pack our vacations so full of activity that we can’t wait to get back to work so we can rest up! Make time a few times a year to retreat and be still! Get to know God. What would that look like in your life?