hurry, hurry, hurry...

​I was speaking with someone the other day about being in a hurry even when we aren’t going anywhere.  We get up in the morning and we hurry to make a pot of coffee or a favorite cup of tea.  We must get to our prayer and devotional time.  We hurry from that to then making a list of things to get done around the house. 
​​I act like everything must happen now.  

So I have to ask myself, why do I hurry so much?  When I ponder that question, it seems the answer is that I tend towards greed.  This is not the sense that I want a lot of wealth.  It is more about wanting more of whatever it is that I like.   

I rush around, trying to fit everything into my day. I want to maximize every day, every trip, every event, every moment. I’m trying to get everything possible out of life.  This comes from a good heart — I appreciate the briefness of life, I appreciate its brilliance, and I want all of it in the short time I have left here. That’s not a bad thing, wanting more of life. 

Hurry is greed.   

Those are strong words.  Why is it greed? 

Because hurry demands that a desired future be brought into the present at a faster rate than God intends. It puts productivity above people. Stated plainly and personally, when my heart is in a state of hurry, I don’t love well. 

Dallas Willard has given this piece of advice on many occasions.  It is easier to hear than to implement.  “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry.”  If I am honest with myself, I have been trying to do that for years, but I cannot say that I have succeeded.  I am not sure if I know of anyone who has done that.   

What is the result of always wanting more, always wanting to maximize? It’s rushing, grabbing onto everything, never having enough, never being satisfied, never actually stopping to enjoy, not really appreciating each moment because we’re greedy for more great moments. Indulging in this greediness for more, this maximizing everything, doesn’t satisfy it. It just creates more wanting for more. 

One counter for hurry in our lives is the practice of generosity.   

What does generosity have to do with hurrying and trying to maximize every day? In one sense, generosity might be giving money or possessions to people who need it, or giving help wherever needed, when possible. But that’s just one sense of generosity. 

Generosity is any way that we turn away from our self-centered view and start turning towards others. It could be as simple as turning towards another person in our life and trying to see what they need, rather than focusing on what we want to get out of life. 

Or it could be turning towards that person and giving them the gift of our full attention. Really try to be present, with an open heart, trying to understand and hear the person. This is the spirit of generosity. 

When doing something alone, the spirit of generosity can be turned to each moment — giving that moment the full gift of our attention, seeing it fully and opening our heart to it. This is a salve to the usual spirit of needing more, more, more, of wanting to satisfy me, me, me. 

So, Father, unhurry our hearts. Help us to do the work you’ve given us to do in your way and at your pace, motivated by love and not greed. And we trust that what’s done in this way is enough. Amen. 

Peace, 
Travis Segar 
Pastor for Care and Community