Slowing Down: Discovering the Why Behind Our HurrySample

In his book, Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer wrote, "Hurry is, arguably, the number one challenge you will face should you decide to take following Jesus seriously. Like an enemy, it won't just stand in your way: it will actively fight against you."

In order to fight back against our natural tendency towards hurry, we need to understand the why behind our hurried existence. Today, we will consider the first of four reasons we suffer from hurry sickness: Fear.

We are living in a cultural moment where #FOMO, or the fear of missing out, is having a devastating effect on our ability to be fully present in the moment. Present to God. Present to others. And even present to the condition of our own souls. Somewhere along the way, the enemy of our souls has fed us the lie that we can be all things to all people, in all places, across all of time. Afraid of missing out, we reason that if we can speed up the pace of how we move throughout our day, we can keep up with the flood of information coming at us.

Here is the hard truth you and I must be constantly reminded of. We are going to miss out. In the always-on, 24/7 modern digital world we currently live in, there is simply no way to avoid missing out. If we allow this truth to take root in our minds, we can begin to experience freedom from the fear that keeps us trapped in a lifestyle of hurry.

Together, we can find encouragement from The Message translation of Matthew 6:30-34, which says, "Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow."

If there is no way to avoid missing out on something, then perhaps we should ask ourselves, "What are we willing to miss out on?"

God is calling us to slow down. To live a life of intentionality that prioritizes what matters most. Time with God. Time with family. And time with the community of people God has strategically placed us near in our current season of life.

As you go, consider taking this practical step towards actively fighting back against the flow of hurry in your life. One way to cultivate the habit of slowing down is to unplug from the technology we allow into our lives regularly. If we aren't careful, technology can become an open door to a constant flood of information about anything and everything happening in the world. But when we regularly choose to close the door, pausing the flow of information, the fear of missing out begins to recede, allowing us to prioritize what matters most in life.