Hurry: the great enemy of divine pace – I recently read a book titled “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Ortberg.  How to stay emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.  His thesis is that hurry (fast pace) and love are not compatible.  I could really relate to this in my own life as most of our worst moments as a husband, father, friend and leader, even as a human being, are when I am in a hurry – late for an appointment, behind on my unrealistic to-do list, trying to cram too much into my day.  In my fast pace, I carry anger, tension and frustration with me, which is the antithesis of love.  Hurry and love are oil and water, they simply do not mix.  In fact, in 1 Corinthians 13, the verse that defines love, it starts with “Love is patient, Love is kind”.  It is nearly impossible to be patient and kind when you are in a hurry.  The scripture refers to walking with God and not running with Him, because God is love and He wants to walk with us.  God walks slowly because He is love.  Like most things of God our value system is turned on its head.  The world says slower paced is bad and faster paced is good.  But in God’s value system slowing down is better because Jesus is what love looks like in the flesh and blood.  Jesus was never in a hurry but he was always on pace with His God ordained purpose. 

God’s answer is Sabbath – This is where we find room to adjust our pace to a healthy and holy level.  Sabbath is simply a discipline of us trusting God “with all of our heart, mind and strength” to be God and provide us with what we need.  It is a discipline of starting our week with faith, trust and resting in God.  We all need space between us and our work or else we run the risk of burnout, not to mention the fact that we are more productive and creative when we take time away to recreate and recharge. This is the principal and gift of Sabbath.  To cease from our work to simply rest in knowing God.  To honor God by putting our faith in action by demonstrating we trust God and desire to set apart one day a week, typically the first day, to refocus your energy and attention on Him and those closest to us. “And He said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”. Mark 2:27 

Pruning is one way that God helps us adjust our pace – As a type A goal-oriented achiever, I am always striving to do more and accomplish more.  This makes it challenging for me to stay in a divine pace.  God recently took me through a season of pruning.  In this season I was forced to slow down and evaluate all the things in my life to determine what things in my life needed to be pruned away to give me more room in my life to live a more healthy pace and focus on the things that matter most.  As life goes on, I have tended to take on more and more until I find myself in an unhealthy place running at an unsustainable pace.  This typically impacts those around me more than anything, especially those closest to me.  God loves us so much that He will do whatever is necessary to get our attention.  If we are abiding in Christ He will take us through the process of pruning, which is painful but necessary.  It is not about doing more it is about doing the things that really matter most, especially eternal things.  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2

Challenge Questions:  Is your pace healthy and sustainable?  Are you living at a pace that allows you to be the best version of you, especially with those closest to you.  Do you find yourself frustrated or impatient with people?  If so, you may want to look at adjustments to your life to find a more divine pace. 

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” ” Psalm 37:4

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