Embracing Presence: Overcoming Hurry in Our Lives

Summary

### Summary

In today's world, the word "busy" has become a ubiquitous response when people are asked how they are doing. This busyness spans across all demographics, from young adults to empty nesters. However, being busy isn't inherently bad, especially if it involves activities that we love and have chosen intentionally. The real issue arises when busyness morphs into hurry, a state of urgency and haste that can negatively impact our lives.

Hurry is not just about being busy; it’s an unhealthy preoccupation with a future time, place, or outcome. This state of mind can lead to inner turmoil, stress, and a lack of presence in the current moment. The story of a family road trip illustrated how hurry can escalate situations, leading to mistakes and heightened stress. Unlike busyness, hurry takes over and becomes the boss of our lives, affecting our behavior and relationships.

John Ortberg, a pastor and author, once sought advice from his mentor, Dallas Willard, on how to grow spiritually amidst his busy life. Willard's profound advice was to "ruthlessly eliminate hurry" from his life, emphasizing that hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life. This concept is supported by secular psychologists who have identified "hurry sickness," a condition characterized by continual rushing and anxiousness.

The life of Jesus serves as a model for an unhurried existence. Despite having the most important mission, Jesus was never in a rush. He took time to be present with people, asked questions, and was patient. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—cannot flourish in a hurried life. Hurry is the antithesis of these virtues.

To combat hurry, practical steps can be taken, such as choosing the longest line at the store, driving the speed limit, saying "you go ahead" to others, and welcoming interruptions. These actions help to slow down internally, allowing us to be more present and connected with God and others. The first step in this journey is to slow down, both externally and internally, to experience a more fulfilling and spiritually rich life.

### Key Takeaways

1. Busy vs. Hurry: While being busy with meaningful activities is not inherently bad, hurry is an unhealthy preoccupation with a future time, place, or outcome. It leads to inner turmoil and stress, making us less present in the current moment. Understanding this distinction is crucial for managing our lives better. [01:38]

2. Hurry as the Enemy of Spiritual Life: Dallas Willard's advice to "ruthlessly eliminate hurry" underscores that hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life. It distracts us from experiencing God and living out the virtues of the Spirit. This insight challenges us to reconsider what truly hinders our spiritual growth. [15:50]

3. Jesus' Unhurried Life: Jesus serves as a model for an unhurried life. Despite having the most important mission, He was never in a rush. His life exemplified patience, presence, and love, showing us that an unhurried life is more aligned with spiritual well-being. [22:37]

4. The Fruit of the Spirit vs. Hurry: The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—cannot coexist with hurry. Hurry is the antithesis of these virtues, acting as a pesticide to the fruit of the Spirit. This realization calls us to eliminate hurry to cultivate these virtues. [27:22]

5. Practical Steps to Combat Hurry: Practical steps such as choosing the longest line at the store, driving the speed limit, saying "you go ahead," and welcoming interruptions can help us slow down internally. These actions serve as tools to protest against the hurry that creeps into our lives, allowing us to be more present and connected with God and others. [31:55]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[00:46] - The Ubiquity of Busyness
[01:38] - Busy Isn't Bad
[02:47] - Choosing Fullness Over Busyness
[04:09] - The Family Road Trip Story
[06:04] - The Difference Between Busy and Hurry
[07:17] - The Consequences of Hurry
[10:41] - Defining Hurry
[13:29] - Hurry Takes Over
[14:28] - John Ortberg and Dallas Willard
[17:02] - The Concept of Hurry Sickness
[20:16] - The Impact of Long-Term Hurry
[21:15] - Hurry and Spiritual Life
[22:37] - Jesus' Unhurried Life
[24:03] - The Story of Mary and Martha
[25:34] - The Fruit of the Spirit
[27:22] - The Unfruit of the Spirit
[30:49] - Advice for a Hurried Life: Slow Down
[31:55] - Practical Steps to Combat Hurry
[40:11] - Closing Prayer

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Luke 10:38-42 - The story of Mary and Martha.
2. John 11:1-6 - Jesus hears about Lazarus' sickness.
3. Galatians 5:22-23 - The Fruit of the Spirit.

#### Observation Questions
1. In the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), what were the different actions taken by Mary and Martha when Jesus visited their home?
2. According to John 11:1-6, how did Jesus respond when He heard that Lazarus was sick? What does this tell us about His approach to urgency?
3. What are the attributes listed as the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23? How do these attributes contrast with a hurried life? [25:34]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus chose to stay two more days after hearing about Lazarus' sickness instead of hurrying to heal him immediately? What lesson can we learn from this about handling urgent situations? [24:03]
2. How does the story of Mary and Martha illustrate the difference between busyness and hurry? What does Jesus' response to Martha reveal about His priorities? [22:37]
3. In what ways does hurry act as a "pesticide" to the Fruit of the Spirit, as mentioned in the sermon? How does this analogy help us understand the impact of hurry on our spiritual lives? [27:22]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a recent situation where you felt hurried. How did it affect your behavior and interactions with others? What could you have done differently to manage the situation better? [07:17]
2. Jesus modeled an unhurried life despite having the most important mission. What practical steps can you take to slow down and be more present in your daily life, similar to the examples given in the sermon? [31:55]
3. The sermon mentioned practical steps like choosing the longest line at the store and driving the speed limit to combat hurry. Which of these steps do you find most challenging, and why? How can you incorporate one of these practices into your routine this week? [34:57]
4. Think about a time when you were preoccupied with a future outcome, similar to the pastor's story about wanting his kids to put their dishes in the dishwasher quickly. How did this preoccupation affect your present moment? What can you do to shift your focus to the present? [10:41]
5. The Fruit of the Spirit includes attributes like love, joy, and peace. Choose one aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit that you struggle with when you are hurried. What specific action can you take this week to cultivate this attribute in your interactions with others? [25:34]
6. The sermon highlighted the importance of welcoming interruptions. Think of a recent interruption that frustrated you. How could you have responded differently to welcome it? What mindset shift is needed to see interruptions as opportunities rather than obstacles? [36:35]
7. Reflect on Dallas Willard's advice to "ruthlessly eliminate hurry" from your life. What is one area of your life where you can start implementing this advice? How do you think this change will impact your spiritual growth and relationships? [15:50]

Devotional

### Day 1: The Difference Between Busy and Hurry
In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to confuse being busy with being in a hurry. While busyness involves engaging in activities that we love and have chosen intentionally, hurry is an unhealthy preoccupation with a future time, place, or outcome. This state of urgency can lead to inner turmoil, stress, and a lack of presence in the current moment. Understanding this distinction is crucial for managing our lives better. When we allow hurry to take over, it becomes the boss of our lives, affecting our behavior and relationships negatively. Recognizing the difference between being busy and being in a hurry can help us make more mindful choices about how we spend our time and energy. [01:38]

Bible Passage:
"Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind." (Ecclesiastes 4:6, ESV)

Reflection:
Think about your daily routine. Are there moments when you feel hurried rather than just busy? How can you adjust your schedule or mindset to be more present in those moments?

### Day 2: Hurry as the Enemy of Spiritual Life
Dallas Willard's advice to "ruthlessly eliminate hurry" underscores that hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life. Hurry distracts us from experiencing God and living out the virtues of the Spirit. This insight challenges us to reconsider what truly hinders our spiritual growth. When we are constantly in a hurry, we miss out on the deeper, more meaningful aspects of life, including our relationship with God. By eliminating hurry, we create space for spiritual practices that nourish our souls and bring us closer to God. [15:50]

Bible Passage:
"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" (Psalm 37:7, ESV)

Reflection:
Identify one area of your life where hurry is most prevalent. What steps can you take to eliminate hurry in that area and make room for spiritual growth?

### Day 3: Jesus' Unhurried Life
Jesus serves as a model for an unhurried life. Despite having the most important mission, He was never in a rush. His life exemplified patience, presence, and love, showing us that an unhurried life is more aligned with spiritual well-being. Jesus took time to be present with people, asked questions, and was patient. His unhurried approach allowed Him to fully engage with those around Him and to fulfill His mission with grace and compassion. By following Jesus' example, we can learn to slow down and be more present in our own lives. [22:37]

Bible Passage:
"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." (Mark 1:35, ESV)

Reflection:
Reflect on your daily interactions. How can you be more present and patient with the people you encounter, following Jesus' example of an unhurried life?

### Day 4: The Fruit of the Spirit vs. Hurry
The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—cannot coexist with hurry. Hurry is the antithesis of these virtues, acting as a pesticide to the fruit of the Spirit. This realization calls us to eliminate hurry to cultivate these virtues. When we are hurried, we are less likely to exhibit the qualities that reflect God's character. By slowing down, we create an environment where the fruit of the Spirit can flourish in our lives. [27:22]

Bible Passage:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV)

Reflection:
Consider which fruit of the Spirit is most lacking in your life right now. How might eliminating hurry help you cultivate that particular virtue?

### Day 5: Practical Steps to Combat Hurry
Practical steps such as choosing the longest line at the store, driving the speed limit, saying "you go ahead," and welcoming interruptions can help us slow down internally. These actions serve as tools to protest against the hurry that creeps into our lives, allowing us to be more present and connected with God and others. By intentionally slowing down, we can create a more fulfilling and spiritually rich life. These small, practical changes can make a significant difference in our overall well-being and spiritual health. [31:55]

Bible Passage:
"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Colossians 4:5-6, ESV)

Reflection:
Choose one practical step to combat hurry that you can implement today. How do you think this change will impact your relationship with God and others?

Quotes

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Busy isn't bad. It's not a bad thing. Sometimes I talk to folks and they'll be like, oh, you know, we're just busy, you know, and they start listing off all the things they're busy. We got this and we got this and we got this. And I'm sitting there kind of thinking to myself, well, wait a second. Didn't you? Didn't you choose all those things? Like who twisted your arm and made you sign up for all the things that you're busy with in life?" [02:05] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Busy is not a bad thing, especially if it's, if our lives are busy with things that matter and things that we've chosen and things that make a big impact. I, there's a couple that goes here to Brownsbridge, Chris and Jan, and they've been here for a long, long time. Good friends of ours. And they volunteer in a bunch of different areas. Chris may have been in the parking lot on your way in today, but I was having a lot of lunch with Chris several years ago." [02:47] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Hurry is different from busy. They're two separate things. Busy is the activity. Hurry is our state or our condition within the activity, not just the activity itself. If you look up Webster's definition of hurry, it's a state of urgency or haste. And it's associated with a number of different words. It's associated with world words such as hurl, hurdle, hurly burly, and hurricane. Another way that you can define hurry is this right here. It's a, it's an unhealthy preoccupation with a future time, place, or outcome." [10:41] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Hurry is not your friend. And the interesting thing about hurry is hurry is not a companion and it's not a co-pilot in life. When it enters the picture, it takes over. It's not the co-pilot it's the driver is not the coworker. It's your boss hurry will become the boss of you. It doesn't just come alongside and, and, and affect us in little ways. It takes over and think about your life. Aren't some of your worst moments when you're, when you're in a hurry, things you say, things you do, things you regret." [13:29] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Hurry is not your friend. John Ortberg is an author and a pastor. And, um, he tells the story of early on in his career. He was the pastor of a very large church up in Chicago and had a wife and young kids and just had a lot on his plate. And he was struggling, keeping all the plates spinning and keeping everything moving in a good direction. So he ends up calling his mentor. It was a guy named Dallas Willard Dallas passed away several years ago, but Dallas is an author and a teacher, um, and, uh, is, is, is known in theological circles and he calls Dallas and he says, Dallas, here's what's going on in my life." [14:28] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "Hurry is the inner turmoil that we feel. When, when we're trying to get somewhere sooner than possible, and that somewhere could be a physical location, or again, it could be a circumstance or outcome that we want to happen. It's like when we're stuck in traffic, we might be late for a meeting or late for something. And we begin to experience that inner turmoil when we're stuck in traffic and we're late for that meeting and we want to get there and we begin to say things. That we wouldn't normally say, we begin to think things that we wouldn't normally do and to do things that we wouldn't normally do things that we regret that feeling, that feeling in that moment that we're experiencing is hurry because we actually can't do anything to move the traffic." [11:50] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Hurry is not your friend. And the interesting thing about hurry is hurry is not a companion and it's not a co-pilot in life. When it enters the picture, it takes over. It's not the co-pilot it's the driver is not the coworker. It's your boss hurry will become the boss of you. It doesn't just come alongside and, and, and affect us in little ways. It takes over and think about your life. Aren't some of your worst moments when you're, when you're in a hurry, things you say, things you do, things you regret. I know they are for me. I know that, that Kelly has experienced it. I know the kids have experienced it. They experienced it just a couple months ago out West when we were, you know, busy. Busy one morning. Yeah, we were busy, but, but I got hurried in that moment. Hurry is not your friend." [13:29] (62 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day, which is so interesting because think about it. What, what would we say is the enemy of our life in these days? And if you're a follower of Jesus, what's, what's the enemy of your relationship with Jesus? We would say a lot of different things probably before we would say hurry. We might say that it's culture or it's the internet or it's false teaching about God or false beliefs about God, or it's the devil or it's the opposite. It's the opposing political party or the HOA, you know, we'd list a whole number of things that we would say are the enemy of your life and of mine. But Dallas, when he was talking to John, he said, no, it's hurry. It's hurry. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." [15:50] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Hurry is not your friend. Even if you're not a Christian hurry is going to prevent those things in your life and those are things that you want but if you're a follower of jesus these are the things that should describe us they should embody our lives people should see these things in us and when we begin to depart from those that should alert us that something is off that we're off track and that we've been sucked back in to the busyness of life and the culture around us and the advertising and the social media and all of those things they've gotten us stirred up they've gotten us rushed and we're in a hurry and when we do that we miss out on life we miss out on hearing from god and experiencing life with him so we must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives." [28:58] (65 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Slow down and again this is not just externally this this is not necessarily trying to remove all the to-do's from your life this is internally you're still going to get it all done you can still make all the things happen that you feel like you're committed to but what condition are you in on the other side of those tasks how can you slow down internally in your heart and in your mind so that you can experience strength and peace and joy as you go from one activity to the next and how can you experience more of god in your life as you go from one activity to the next so that you can Have a connection with him. And that connection with him overflows to the people you're interacting with throughout your days. How can you slow down?" [30:49] (64 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?