Wouldn’t it be logical that with all our modern technology that saves us so much time, we would have an abundance of leftover time? Time to smell the proverbial roses, time to _____________, you fill in the blank.
But instead of having time left over, we fall victim to the “time troll.” Whose song says; “Rush, rush, hurry, hurry because if you don’t what will people say? Everything is depending on you so rush, rush, hurry, hurry.” The song is repeated over and over with few variations until we find ourselves utterly exhausted and we just want to be left alone.
I find nowhere in the gospel where Jesus rushed. I’ve looked and can’t find one time. Being fully God, He knew that His time on earth was limited to three short years. Three years and so much to get done; teaching, feeding, healing, and preparation for a transitional plan after He was out of the picture, yet He never rushed. There is no record of Him saying, “I don’t have time.” Instead we find Him going to a party, playing with children and at the height of His ministry with public opinion in His favor. He disappears and goes to a secluded mountain to rest and pray. What? He is God He knows there are people to heal, mouths to feed, messages to preach, and His inner circle is far from ready to assume leadership. They are still jocking for position and honor, totally oblivious to His impending departure. What is He thinking? This is hardly a good time to take a break, but He did. Everything He did was for a purpose and we are to follow His example.
Stop for just a moment and slowly inhale, then slowly exhale. Try it again, but this time more deliberate and slower. Have you forgotten just how good it feels to breathe properly? Try it again, deep inhale and slowly exhale. Now read the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
In Mark Buchanan’s book The Rest of God, Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath, he writes: “My biggest regret in life is being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I’ve ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all that rushing.” By the way, I highly recommend his book.
Stop rushing, life is too short. The things left on your “to do” list after you are dead and gone will be completed by someone else, and maybe, just maybe even better than you could have done them. If you get nothing else from this blog, at least stop and breathe properly and then find some roses to smell. You might be surprised at how much time you really have.
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