People Get Ready...Sample

Living an Unhurried Life

It is evident during Jesus’ earthly ministry that He was never hurried in His interactions with others. In fact, He welcomed interruptions. In Mark 5, Jesus was on His way to heal Jairus’ daughter when a woman with a blood issue came up behind Him and touched His cloak (v. 21-29). When Jesus looked around to find who touched His cloak, the woman fell at His feet and told him the whole truth (Mark 5:32-33). The whole truth must have taken more time than Jesus originally planned. Jesus was not annoyed with the woman, nor did He tell her He had more important things to do. Instead, Jesus’ immediate response was to listen.

He was willing to sacrifice His time and convenience for the sake of connection.

Recently, I participated in a local outreach project where we packaged and distributed donations. Toward the end of the day, a man approached us, so we invited him to church and offered to pray for him. We began walking away, and the man called out to us again. He began sharing his story of spending time in and out of the prison system. We were scheduled to go back for the day, but instead, we decided to take a moment to listen. Our conversation was simple. It was not our words that encouraged authenticity but the sacrifice of our time.

Practically, it can be quite difficult to welcome interruptions, but what if we started welcoming interruptions with open arms as Jesus did? When you live an unhurried life, each interruption becomes a divine appointment. So, how can you steward each interruption well?

• Look at interruptions as opportunities to point people toward Jesus.
• Listen to others as they share the “whole truth.”
• Love wholeheartedly by showing others how you value them.