THE PROBLEM WITH HURRYING | Northstar Church

“ I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” – Philippians 3:12-14.

Every day, we confront a wave of deadlines—assignments to be completed, due dates for bills, and worries about looming events in our families or businesses. Facing these matters, we must decide what to do. We hurry when there is no reason to hurry—just to be hurrying. What options should we consider? What should be our priorities? What do we need to know to make the right decisions? There is no question that the world seems to move faster with each passing year. One person described the current season as the age of acceleration, and as the world accelerates, so does our need to hurry.

Some of us would be miserable if things slowed down. We’d much rather things hurry up. The question is this: does hurrying truly serve us? The reality is that hurrying is often an enemy of what matters most in life. The more you do, the faster you have to work to get it all done. And the hurry cycle starts all over again.

Hurry can harm your relationship with God and others. Hurry will prohibit your ability to delve into scripture in more depth. Hurry will keep you from serving others well because it will cause you to brush over their needs. Hurry robs us of the beauty God has placed in front of us and the grace others desperately need. Hurry steals the best from us, so we must ruthlessly eliminate hurry.

Dealing with a hurry is as simple as deciding to slow down, although in reality, it is not easy. Build some margin in your life. Margin is breathing room. Margin is a little reserve that you’re not using up. You’re not stretched to the limit. You’re not going from one meeting to the next to the next with no space in between. Margin is the space between your load and your limit.

What happens if you ruthlessly eliminate hurry in your life and you begin to live with margin? You’ll have more peace in your life. You’ll have unhurried time to spend with those that you love best. And, best of all, you’ll be available to God. You’ll be able to hear His still, small voice. You’ll be ready to live the life that He intended you to live.

We can uncover the root of our hurry, but it takes time. To start, the next time you feel the need to push the gas pedal, pause and breathe deeply. Refuse to be rushed. Decide to move at God’s pace.

Discussion Questions:

What does healthy busyness look like, and what does unhealthy busyness look like? What are the symptoms of having too much hurry in your life?
How does hurry damage our emotional and spiritual health?