Session 2: Slowing Down & Celebrating
Hurry is not merely a shortage of time - it is a disease of the soul. Hurry lies behind much of the anger and frustration of modern life. It is the great enemy of spiritual life. Hurry can destroy our spirits and keep us from living well, especially when it causes us to neglect our connection/relationship with God. For many of us, the great danger is not that we will lose our faith, but that we will become so distracted, rushed, and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of life and just skim though our existence without really living.
In our society, we pretty much buy anything that promises to help us hurry. Ironically, all of our efforts have not produced what we're after - a sense of having enough time. In fact, we often experience the opposite.
In The Life You've Always Wanted, John Ortberg states that if we want to grow spiritually, "We must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives... It is impossible to think what Jesus would think, feel what He'd feel, perceive what He'd perceive, and do what He'd do in a hurry." Hurry keeps our focus on the worries and superficial "needs" of life and prevents Jesus' perspective from taking root in our hearts. You can't listen to someone in a hurry. You can't love someone in a hurry. It is impossible to grow in our love of God and love for other people in a hurry. This does not mean that we will never be busy - Jesus often had much to do - but He never did it in a hurry. His priorities were always ordered according to His connection to His Father. He never did things in a way that interfered with this connection or His ability to give love when love was called for. Jesus repeatedly urged His followers to take time out. He often withdrew from crowds and activities for the sake of solitude and prayer.
The Practice of "Slowing"
That brings us to our first "spiritual discipline" of our study. Remember that these "spiritual disciplines" are not things we do to try to earn God's favor or avoid "punishment" or to prove how "spiritual" we are - but a method of training and ordering our lives around practices that will open us up to God's power to change us and allow us to experience an even better life. The first practice we're going to look at is what Ortberg refers to as the practice of "slowing." This involves engaging in activities that you can do by direct effort that are designed to help you defeat hurry in your life. For instance, he suggests that when you're eating food - actually chew... and take time to thank God for the food you have. When driving to work, leave a little earlier one day and pick a lane - then stay in it (and lay off honking at other people). Some of these examples may seem silly or a waste of time - but take some time to think about at least one small thing you can do to practice eliminating hurry in one area of your life.
The Importance of Solitude
Perhaps the single most important practice for helping us defeat hurry in our lives is the practice of solitude. We already noted that Jesus repeatedly modeled the importance of taking time out to connect with God - away from all distractions. We live in a world that is so hurried that inevitably we get caught up in the rush, demands, and activities. Solitude is the one place where we can gain freedom from these forces of society that will otherwise relentlessly mold us. When we devote chunks of time to get out of all the noise/stimulation to be alone with God with nothing to do, we have a chance to experience that God loves us - even when we're not doing anything. When we no longer have to exert frantic efforts to prove our worth and value, the foundation of our identity can get rooted in something much deeper than the pressures and expectations that society puts on us.
If we look back at the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42, we can see that sometimes even when we're trying to serve God, our well-meaning ministries can distract us from what's most important. While many things are important, Jesus says in verse 42 "only one thing is essential." Ultimately, our relationship with Christ is the one thing we can't do without. Fortunately, Jesus isn't trying to give us a heavy load - He's actually trying to lighten the load we're putting on ourselves. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says:
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" (Msg).
Celebrate! When we're in a hurry, we also miss one of the most important (and most neglected) dimensions of spiritual life - celebration. While many people think of God as a harsh disciplinarian, the reality is that He is the most joyful being in the universe! In teaching His disciples, Jesus says in John 15:11, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." (In other words, Jesus isn't out to make our lives boring and unstimulating but to lead us towards true joy - and more joy than we could have ever imagined). Early in history, God established times of celebration. For example, in Leviticus 23 , the Bible describes The Feast of Weeks, The Feast of Passover, and the Feast of Tabernacles. During these times, God's people would do things that filled them with joy, and they would identify and celebrate those things as blessings from God. Philippians 4:4 says to "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again. Rejoice!"
Celebration generally involves activities that bring pleasure - gathering with people we love, eating and drinking, singing, & dancing ("The Carlton" anyone?). Spiritual celebration means doing these things while reflecting on the awesome God who has given us these gifts. But if we become a bunch of partiers, wouldn't that be hedonism??? Actually, true celebration is the opposite of hedonism. Hedonism is the demand for more and more pleasure for personal gratification. It always follows the law of diminishing returns, so that what produced joy in us yesterday no longer does today. Our capacity for joy actually dimineshes. Celebration is not like that. When we celebrate, we exercise our ability to see and feel the goodness of the simplest gifts from God. We are able to take delight today in something we may not have even noticed yesterday. Again, we're connecting our celebration with our joy in a God that gives us freedom to enjoy all the amazing things He's created and gifts He's given us. Our capacity for joy is therefore always increasing - God will never run out of joy to give.
Another important reason to celebrate and experience God's joy is found in Matthew 5:13-14, Jesus calls His followers "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world." We're supposed to be out there spreading His joy. In our interactions with the world around us, are our lives exhibiting God's joy and love - or something else? When non-Christians look at us, do our lives cause them to see a difference that they want to find out more about or do we cause them to be repelled and turned off?
A few interesting comments that explore this idea should really make us think...
William Iverson wrote in a Christianity Today article that according to a Gallup poll, nine of ten Americans say they pray daily, and 84 million Americans-- almost a third of the population-- say they have made a personal commitment to Christ as Savior. In response he observed, "A pound of meat would surely be affected by a quarter pound of salt. If this is real Christianity, the 'salt of the earth,' where is the effect of which Jesus spoke?"
Sheldon Vanauken wrote that the strongest argument for Christianity is Christians, when they are drawing life from God. The strongest argument against Christianity? Also Christians, when they become exclusive, self-righteous and complacent.
And finally, James Joyce writes "How often have people misunderstood God because they attributed to Him the grim, judgmental, defensive, soul-wearying spirit of many who claim to be His followers?"
How might we as Christians live differently (and impact the world differently) if we designated more time in our life to celebrate God's goodness and the gifts He gives us - to celebrate good food, to celebrate employment, to celebrate the unique beauty of where we live, and to truly celebrate the fact that solely because of God's grace our past is forgiven, we can have purpose in our lives today, and our eternal futures are secure. After all, who wouldn't want that???