Eliminate the Hurry: Part 2

Isn’t life great when we get to celebrate successes—whether they are our own or others’? It is a satisfying feeling of accomplishment when we nail that commission, complete the remodel project, or even just get through the weekly to-do list of laundry and grocery shopping.

As great as it is to celebrate the “wins,” I have often felt a certain internal push or rush to get on to the next thing. If I am not in motion, striving to accomplish or complete a task, it is as if I am not being productive. It seems that our culture promotes a constant hurry to get to the next level, whether it is in our careers, with our fitness routines, or in acquiring more or better stuff.

Corrie ten Boom once said, “If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.”

When Christian author Dallas Willard was asked about one of the great challenges to the spiritual life that God wants for us, he responded: “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”

When I intentionally slow my pace, I notice something stirring within me—a quiet discomfort that whispers I should be doing something more. Somehow, I've begun to equate stillness with falling behind, as though productivity has become the measure of a faithful life. Even when my schedule allows for rest, my soul often remains restless.

As I wrestled with this restless pace, I came across a helpful image in John Mark Comer’s book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, where he describes an ancient practice from monastic communities referred to as a rule of life. At first, the phrase sounded rigid to me, as though it were a list of rules to follow. But the more I reflected on it, the more I realized it is less about restriction and more about creating space for relationship.

Recall John 15, where Jesus paints a picture that challenges this modern obsession with constant motion:

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4)

Comer compares a rule of life to a trellis that supports a vine. The trellis doesn’t produce fruit or force the vine to grow. It simply provides the structure that allows the vine to remain healthy, connected, and able to flourish. That image has stayed with me.

Just as a vine leans on a trellis, I am learning that my spiritual life also needs gentle rhythms that support, rather than compete with, my relationship with Jesus. The structure isn’t the goal. The relationship is. The trellis simply helps the vine stay connected long enough for fruit to grow.

Rather than spending so much energy trying to produce fruit, I am better off concentrating on the very rhythms that keep me connected to the Vine. My days can easily become filled with responsibilities that crowd out the quiet places where my soul remembers how to abide.

The intentional rhythms that make room for God to meet me include a few moments of silence before the day begins, a walk without the distraction of my phone, lingering over Scripture instead of rushing through it, or simply sitting in God’s presence without feeling the need to accomplish anything.

Every relationship grows when time alone together is prioritized. Making time to simply sit with God is so worth the effort. Eliminating the hurry helps us recover the sacred rhythm of walking with God.

FOR FURTHER THOUGHT

In Genesis 2, God models the very rhythm that helps us stay connected to Him when, after finishing the work of creating, He rests on the seventh day. Not only did God rest, but He also blessed the seventh day and made it holy as a day of rest—a Sabbath.

A whole day to rest and delight in God’s creation. A time set aside to stop, eliminate the hurry to get on to the next thing, and simply spend time with God.

Consider the rhythm in creation and how God literally commanded a Sabbath, or a time of rest. We have a choice to set aside a day or time to stop the hurry and experience God, or to continue with a manic schedule of constant striving for the next thing.

The invitation of Jesus has never been to run faster, but to remain closer. The life our souls long for is not found in accomplishing more, but in abiding more deeply. As branches draw life from the vine, we draw peace, wisdom, strength, and purpose from our connection with the Father. When we eradicate hurry, we don’t simply gain more time—we recover the sacred rhythm of walking with God, one unhurried step at a time.

Consider: What noise has become so familiar that it keeps you from hearing God’s voice? What would it look like to begin each day by remaining with Jesus before responding to the world’s demands?

PRAYER

Gracious, loving God, thank You for the gift of a Sabbath, a time of rest, and the joy of being known by You. Guide me to abide in You and to keep choosing to develop the rhythm of walking unhurriedly with You. Replace my worry and distraction with Your peace and assurance that nothing can separate me from Your loving embrace. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

ABOUT MARLA WALDRON

Marla Waldron is a wife, mother of three grown children, sister, teacher, and friend who recently retired after 35 years as a public school educator. Since her father’s passing, she has also cared for her 50-year-old brother, who has multiple disabilities. She is actively involved in her church, community, and The Dented Fender Ministry, where she participates in and leads small-group Bible studies. Through seasons of grief, caregiving, and self-doubt, Marla has learned to lean on God’s grace, hold tightly to His truth, and trust His guidance one step at a time. She and her husband live in Wyoming, Ohio.

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