The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week already! And we have only 6 weeks left till 2025. (Yup, I counted.)

It is the time of year that, if we are not careful, we will fill up with all the busyness of life and it will fly by. So how do we move with more intention? How do we have a Christmas season that isn't overwhelmed with checking things off a list and keeping up with the Jones'?

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2).

Seek God first in all we do (paraphrase: Matthew 6:33).

And we "ruthlessly eliminate hurry" (Dallas Willard).

In the middle of the busiest time of the year we must practice the ruthless elimination of hurry in order to continue to transform into the likeness of Christ.

Am I ruffling your feathers yet?

I hope so because this is the hardest time of year to practice the discipline of stillness and quiet. You will need to be determined. But again, we must do this if we are true disciples of Christ. To be his disciple means to emulate the way he lived on earth. And Jesus was never in a hurry.

Jesus Ruthlessly Eliminated Hurry

1. Jesus was told to hurry and come home to heal Lazarus who was deathly ill, not to mention his best friend, Jesus stayed where he was and continued in his work for 3 days. He stayed so long that Lazarus died. Not to worry, the glory of God was revealed when Jesus brought him back to life on his timing and no one else's. (John 11:1-45)
2. Jesus was on his way to heal a little girl who was on the brink of death when he was interrupted by a woman touching the edge of his cloak. Just the one touch healed her. Jesus could have kept going, the woman received the healing she desperately needed and nothing else was required for her healing. But instead He stopped. He waited till He knew who had touched the cloak and He gave the woman His undivided attention. He wasn't too busy or too rushed for an interruption. And again, the girl died because He couldn't be rushed to get there. Jesus raised her from the dead when He arrived because time could not constrain His ministry. (Luke 4:40-56)
3. Jesus' first act of ministry, after being baptized, was to go into the wilderness to fast and pray for 40 days. (Matthew 3:16-4:2)

Jesus lived freely and lightly and He invites you to do the same.

Now, I bet a lot of you are better at this than me! Either way...

Questions to Contemplate

What are the practices, disciplines, or habits that help me to slow down and not hurry?

How can I do more of these things over the next six weeks?

Things I do to Ruthlessly Eliminate Hurry (and you can do them too!)

1. I don't neglect exercising. As best as I can, I maintain my routines. If you are already a Founding Member of Move By Faith then try to get in a few classes with me a week. I'm adding new classes all the time and of varying lengths and styles. If you are not a member click here to see what your options are for practicing online with me.
2. I set goals for Bible Study. A great idea for December is to read one chapter a day from the book of Luke. If you start on December 1, then you will finish the entire book on Christmas Eve!
3. I enlist accountability partners. That may be a workout buddy, a bible study buddy, or a prayer warrior.
4. Make a Christmas bucket list. I usually make one with my kids and this helps me keep things in perspective and be kingdom-minded. I say yes to the things that are most important to our family and say no to a lot more things.

Listen, I am most definitely not perfect and I know you aren't either. But we are continually being molded into the likeness of Jesus and the way we spend our time matters!!

So hit reply and tell me how you are going to keep your mind on things above, seek his kingdom first, and ruthlessly eliminate hurry this season.

With love,

Callie

P.S. Check out my new beginner's meditation course being offered in January 2025. It's totally FREE because that's how much I want you to meditate on God's word.