Who Are You Becoming?

John Mark Comer asked himself this question on a plane on the way home from London. He appeared to be successful on the outside, but on the inside, things were not pretty. He realized that being too busy was destroying his health, his relationships, and his connection to his faith. He felt that his marriage was a duty. His children did not want to be involved with the church. He was stuck in trying to find a solution, so he reached out to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words, “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.” As a result of this, he began a journey to eliminate hurry from his life and he wrote a book about the process he went through.

 Why should you read the book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry? It is a guide to slowing down and having a more intentional lifestyle. If you work toward this slower lifestyle, you will find a better sense of wellness in your life.

The Problem: Being Too Busy

• “Hurry” is a threat to our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
• New technologies have altered our relationship to time and made us busier.
• Trying to do everything and to be everywhere is unrealistic and is causing us great exhaustion and affecting our health.

The Solution: Emulate Jesus’s Lifestyle

• Jesus modeled a slow, deliberate way of living despite the demands on His time.
• Jesus spent time with His Father to get direction for each day.

Four Practices for Unhurrying Your Life

• Create time for Silence and Solitude every day to reconnect with God.
• Sabbath– Take a day off every week to rest and worship to rejuvenate and reset.
• Simplicity- Consume less and share more so we will have more time for things that really matter. Decluttering our lives- both materially and mentally- lets us focus on what really matters.
• Slowing- Slow down your life and make it less efficient so you foster mindfulness and being present.

Action Step

In summary, the goal in following the above four practices is creating rhythms that allow for a fulfilling, more-balanced life. It is not about practicing them perfectly or being legalistic about them.

Slowing down is not a luxury, is it essential to less stress, deep peace, and a deeper spiritual life. Slowing down is a healthful endeavor that leads to a better sense of wellness.

May God bless you on your wellness journey!

Joni

P.S. What experience do you have with this?