Apr
4
Written by:
Blake Shipp
4/4/2011 3:54 PM
Today has been a whirlwind. I had to projects to finish. Projects to start. More stuff to do than could possibly be done today. Now I have to write this blog and the clock is ticking because I have to head out the door and get the kids. In the chaos and confusion that has been today, I have caught myself hurrying. It has happened in little ways. I have seen it in the speed with which I walk in and out of the office to get things from the copier, in the urgency with which I walk to my car to make it late, once again, to another appointment, in the rushed feeling that tormented me as I kept looking at the clock thinking, “I have to get that blog written.” Hurry has dogged me all day, telling me that I have to move faster, I have to work smarter, that if I don’t get more done more quickly I am going to fall behind and get run over. Let me tell you, that hurry thing is quite the persistent task master. I am also convinced that it is quite unhealthy.
I was present for an interview between Dallas Willard and John Ortberg several months ago. In that interview, John Ortberg asked Dallas Willard to repeat the advice he had given to John many years back about succeeding in ministry. Willard simply said, “Never ever hurry.” John Ortberg then said, “And when I wrote that down what did you tell me next?” Willard smiled and said, “Never ever hurry.”
Hurry. It is such a part of life, and yet I find that it deprives us of what life is meant to be. Hurry tells us we don’t have time to chat, but then we miss the richness of gracious conversation. Hurry tells us we don’t have time to stop, but then we miss the beauty of what surrounds us. Hurry tells us we are going to be late, but we then we never make the divine appointments God has for us. Hurry tells us we are falling behind, and we are, but with what matters most, not what is in the moment. So, as I have caught myself hurrying, as perhaps you have hurried as you read this note, I have sought to slow down. I don’t want to miss what is truly there because I am in a hurry.
A fellow traveler,
Blake
Spiritual Formation Pastor
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10 comment(s) so far...
Re: Blake: Never ever hurry
Blake, I'm so interested that this comment from Willard/Ortberg has been on your mind also. Lately I've been reading Ortberg's _Life You Always Wanted_ .and been so struck by that comment (p.76) that I've journaled about it and thought about it often. There he writes Willard's advice even more strongly: "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." I don't know if it's sinking in much yet.... I hope it does.
By Karen Wood on
4/4/2011 4:46 PM
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Re: Blake: Never ever hurry
Karen, I really understand the sinking in part. It is something of a dilemma. I want it and yet I can't seem or even will myself to do it. Hurry is such a natural part of life for me. Part of it is that there seems to be too much to do. Then again, if I really believe that God doesn't give me more than I can do, and if I have too much to do, then who gave it to me? What I am trying to do is act as I am able to eliminate hurry. I don't have the strength to reorder my schedule, not yet. I can, however, walk slowly or intentionally choose the slowest checkout stand or just stay in the right hand lane behind someone driving 45 mph when the limit is 55 mph. I can do these things. I see them as ways of training myself and opening my heart to God's grace. I find that slowly and surely, God's grace sinks in and change me. But it takes time. Lots and lots of time. It also takes failure. Lots of it on my part. If I had it all together then I wouldn't fail, but I don't, so I do fail. I don't fret about it, most days. I acknowledge my need and keep opening my life. Through it all I cling to the singular promise that God will finish what He has started.
By Blake Shipp on
4/4/2011 9:28 PM
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Re: Blake: Never ever hurry
Reminds us how much we need God's grace:) As I was getting dressed and ready this morning I was contemplating what it means to be Christ centered and the image of target shooting came to mind. If I'm, Christ centered I'm always aiming for that bullseye (to be more like Jesus), though I might not always be steady enough to hit it. The image of an Olympic biathlete came to mind where they race on skis and target shoot and I thought of what you'd said here. The biathletes move swiftly, efficiently and with purpose from one target to the next, then know how to slow down and aim. They don't hurry. If they panic and hurry they become reckless and inefficient and miss the targets.
By Sally Warner on
4/5/2011 8:21 AM
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Re: Blake: Never ever hurry
...Like when I hurry while typing and end up with commas in where they don't belong! :(
By Sally Warner on
4/5/2011 8:24 AM
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Re: Blake: Never ever hurry
What a great image Sally. There are times of busyness. However, busyness is not our lifestyle nor is busyness the same as hurry. Even in times of movement, we can still pause and be intentional.
By Blake Shipp on
4/5/2011 11:09 AM
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Re: Blake: Never ever hurry
I am laughing as I type this. I skipped over half of this dialog because I don’t have time to read it all! But, if I’m not hurrying, then how do I get everything in a day? If my body is not racing a mile a minute, than my brain surely is. I want to blame it on our generation - too much to do and not enough time to do it. “Not enough hours in a day.” But even in Jesus’ time, He had to encourage his disciples to slow down. So now where do I point my finger?
Is it a sin to hurry? I’m pretty sure my attitude to the world around me doesn’t put a smile on my Father’s face. Like when I lose patience with a child and raise my voice. Or when someone alters my pace and my thoughts aren’t kind. :) There comes a peace from slowing down. We had a guest for dinner this week and I was forced to sit and chat. I was happy. My kids were happy. That evening brought such peace. I wasn’t focused on all that needed to be fixed. I was in the moment.
I can’t have a guest at all times, so how do I keep that pace? I’m going to start with my physical actions. If you see me running through the halls of church (I really do), or speed talking – feel free to hold me accountable!
By Carlie Evans on
4/7/2011 6:58 AM
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Re: Blake: Never ever hurry
Carlie,
I know that Father is pleased with your honesty. That is a good place to start. In the end, God is the one who does the changing. Our hurry is simply a symptom of a deeper heart sickness that only He can cure. The "sin" is actually something deeper, usually something about being our own god and striving to provide for ourselves. However, God desires us to partner with Him in His work of healing. I always think of Philippians 2.12-13. So, the question is how do we open our lives to God so that He can heal the deeper issue? This is where spiritual disciplines come in. One of the most powerful ones to use is scripture memory. You might memorize or meditate on Psalm 46.11 which tells us to be still. This reshapes our thinking and allows God's Spirit to work on our soul. Another discipline is simply walking slowly or taking intentional breaks, like the one with your guest. I find that driving in the slowest lane on the highway opens me to God. It surfaces thoughts and feelings that I can take to Father and ask Him to reshape. These are not acts of righteousness but acts that present us to God so that He works His righteousness in us. They open us to His sustaining grace. It doesn't happen overnight, but in drips. You might ask Father what He would have you to do. I find that when I do that, He always answers.
By Blake Shipp on
4/7/2011 7:52 AM
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Re: Blake: Never ever hurry
Carly and Blake,
I think the answer could also tied into Blake's blog from last week. Carly always has a guest with her. It is Jesus. Learning to be present with Him in everything has a way of slowing us down and keeping us from rushing to the next thing. I wouldn't have gotten the bialthlete image above if I hadn't literally been putting on my make-up with Jesus. Sounds stange, but, yep, Jesus like to share that with me to.
By Sally Warner on
4/7/2011 9:51 AM
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Re: Blake: Never ever hurry
Thank you Blake and Sally for your thoughtful words.
Blake – you nailed it when you commented on sin and being our own god and striving to provide for ourselves. With this attitude, it’s hard to let God work in me, right?
Sally – I love your comment that we always have a guest with us and I agree - This does all tie into the last 2 weeks. And it is my greatest weakness today.
I have distinct memories of my life as an eight year old where I would talk to God through my play. He was my best friend at 8 years old. Life has gotten complicated. Through these busy times, I’ve had to replace my “life bucket” with a larger, life bucket. And my “God bucket”? I think there’s a hole in it. I am ready for a new bucket, where my life is dissolved in the God elements. Where I have more times of stillness. I want the life God has intended for me, with Him as my best friend. So that when my daughter dumps a gallon of milk onto the floor and it’s seeping into the basement, I can call out to my best friend and say, “Really… this is where you want me?” and share my emotions with Him.
Rob spoke in a recent message about worshiping throughout your week. Worshiping by spending my ordinary days with him, talking to him or just noticing He’s here. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately…
By Carlie Evans on
4/7/2011 1:46 PM
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Re: Blake: Never ever hurry
Carlie,
You are right there. Keep wrestling with it. God is in the stillness, and He is also in the spilled milk. Life is hard with kidlets, not a lot of quite. God is there no matter what. Worship is simply turning to Him in all moments and offering our life to Him. It is the turning that is most difficult. Do as you are able, not as you are not. God seizes every opening we give Him and does the heavy lifting.
By Blake Shipp on
4/7/2011 3:23 PM
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