Hurry

Yesterday I met for lunch Jim, a friend and church membership.

As we were leaving his shop, someone told him, "You're always in a hurry."

Jim replied, "The day I'm not in a hurry is the day the preacher says a few slow words over me."

Hurry is the order of our days. Our society has cell phones, text messaging, e-mail, bluetooth, and more, but none of these modern advances has made life slower or easier. Rather, it's given us the illusion that we can complete more work.

Even in praying yesterday, I was struck by how many needs there are around me--in my church family, in the circle of missionaries my wife and I support, in my community, and in the world. As I prayed I remember thinking to myself, "Can't spend much time on this. Got to move on to another need."

Yet as I read the Gospels, I'm struck by how Jesus never appears to be in a hurry. Busy, yes. But in a hurry? No.

I've always puzzled over God resting on the seventh day after creating the world in six. God doesn't get tired, so why does He need rest? I guess He doesn't need to, but He chose to.

But there's another aspect to rest than just "recharging the batteries." There are times when I don't need physical rest, but I do need to stop, sit still, and look back on my work. It's pausing long enough to get some perspective on what I've done and what remains to be done.

With that thought, I'll put this entry to rest.