This morning, a sense of mild panic surged through my body.

My breath grew a little shorter, my heart beat a little faster, and my mind spun a little quicker.

It was one of those moments of unfortunate realization: too many yeses had catapulted into too many commitments and too little time. Add procrastination to the equation, and panic is inevitable.

Despite my limited time, I found a few precious minutes to complain to the hubbers.

Why did I take on so much?

How will I manage? Can I even deliver on these commitments?

The questions turned to accusations.

 Maybe you have the capacity to take on 101 tasks, but I don’t.

The ever-patient husband listened (for a bit), suggested that I prioritize the three most important tasks (thank you, management guru), and prayed with me (he’s sweet like that).

But still anxiety stayed put, and deadlines loomed large.

Having little choice, I plunged into work. While reviewing some material, I came across John Ortberg’s book Redeeming Time, in which he says,

“Busyness is inevitable in modern culture. By itself, busyness is not lethal. Being hurried is an inner condition, a condition of the soul. It means to be so preoccupied with myself and my life that I am unable to be fully present with God, with myself, and with other people. Busy-ness migrates to hurry when we let it squeeze God out of our lives.” 

Ouch.

Being busy isn’t bad.

Being hurried is.

I’ve been hurried for as long as I can remember. I’ve always known that hurry can’t be great for me. But I didn’t stop long enough to ask why it’s not good for me, why I’m hurried, and how I can overcome it.

So here’s as good a time as any to hit pause and dive into those questions.

 

Why is hurry harmful?

That low-grade frenzy I often find myself in keeps me from obeying Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Dallas Willard—mentor to Ortberg and an influence on John Mark Comer—once said:

“Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”

I always assumed hurry was a nuisance. I didn’t grasp its destructive power. I didn’t realize the urgent need to kick hurry in the haunches.

One of my favorite passages, Hebrews 12:1-2, says:
“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith..”

We’re called to run, yes—but not in a frenzied sprint. Hurry is one of the very things that hinders us. It keeps us turned inward, while the race requires us to fix our eyes on Jesus.

And hurry doesn’t just damage our walk with God—it also drains our relationships. An always-on lifestyle convinces us there’s no time to be fully present with those we love. But loving others is inconvenient. It costs time. Hurry doesn’t leave room for that.

Why are we hurried? 

One word: Self.

Hurry boils down to a self-focus.

I need to do more to be more.

I need to prove myself to others through my productivity.

I need to be noticed to be valued.

We sometimes confuse frenzy for fruitfulness. We wear busyness as a badge of honor. We overcommit because we see it as a mark of our worth. And then we pay the price.

 

How can we overcome hurry?

Being a work-in-progress myself, I can’t wax eloquent on this. I don’t have a three-step method. But I would start with what the husband offered me this morning: plan and prioritize.

Let’s add two more P’s: purpose and prayer.

John Ortberg says it best: “Jesus understood his purpose, and that allowed him to take the long list of things he could do and pare it down to the things he knew he should do to finish the work the Father gave him to do.”

Do you and I understand our God-ordained purpose? If we do, our yeses will lead us to a place of fruitfulness and not exhaustion.

Starting my day in the secret place, on holy ground, in God’s presence, envelops me in peace.

I don’t always get it right. But when I sit with Him first, the frenzy loses its grip.

Hurry may be the enemy of spiritual life, but the presence of Jesus redeems and refreshes us.

 

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