The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry : A Review
-“What do I need to do to become the me I want to be?”
-“You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
As I was reading this book, I realized how much “hurry” I had in my life. It was bred into me. #hustle #grind #teamnosleep #makethatmoney. What about #teamrest #sabbath #patience #selfcare ? You don’t see those as often right? Because they are often associated with weakness in America. I’ll be the first to admit, I am weak. I need rest. Most people do not know how to rest. Most Christians don’t know how to rest. We have lost the beauty of waiting on God. We are constantly in a hurry.
I am not saying that a spontaneous “mental health day” just to get out of work is okay. I am not saying that being lazy is okay. Im not saying that not having a job and living off the government when you are able to work is okay. Work is good. God made Adam and Eve to work in the garden He made. What I am highlighting is that God took a day of rest on the 7th day as an example for us. He knew we needed rest, and God wanted to show that even in His beautiful creation, He made rest.
Think about this. Are the trees in a hurry to bare fruit? Nope. Is the sun in a hurry to rise and set each day? Not once. Are the seasons in a hurry to change? (Maybe in Tennessee where the weather changes every hour! haha) But no. Was Jesus EVER in a hurry? Never.
I learned how to wait on God when I came back to the states and gave up the opportunity of a lifetime. I decided to raise support for missions instead of getting a job so I could expedite the process of getting it done. “You’ve gotta hustle.” “Get a part time job.” “Have a backup plan.” said the people closest to me. Yet I knew that God had something bigger. The world called me lazy, the Lord called me patient.
To hell with the hustle. To hell with hurry. While reading this book I noticed that all the people who don’t rest, who go and never rest their mind, who always spend time with noise around them, are the most unhealthy people. I was like this too. I always had my headphones in. YouTube for hours a day. Constantly reading about a new diet, a new concept about the Bible, a comedian, a guitar video, etc. I didn’t take a sabbath even though God commanded it to His people. It was a commandment I ignored. Never again. I’ve tried sabbath these past six weeks while in quarantine, and I will never forsake it again. But enough about me, this book was INCREDIBLE.
Main takeaways:
God commands us to rest. So I sabbath once a week now. A day where I only do things that are considered worship and restful to me.
Christians ignore the commandment of sabbath more than any commandment.
Doing mindless tasks on my phone is not resting.
You can gain a church and lose your soul.
Christians trade Jesus for money because of hustle. Just like Judas did.
People slept an average of 11 hours a night before the lightbulb. Me preferring 9 hours to function is normal. Sleep is good. (I know this will change when I have a family, but for now, I sleep)
Rest is considered lazy to those who don’t know how to rest.
Jesus was the greatest example of an emotionally healthy leader. I think this was because he often spent time alone in a quiet place.
Jesus was never in a hurry.
Silence is amazing. Most of the world has lost the beauty of sitting in silence. We wonder why God won’t speak, yet we fill our lives with noise!
Minimalism is the way to live. “Stuff” will never make you happy. Money will never make you happy. Shopping won’t fill the void in your life only Jesus can fill.
Drive the speed limit.
Get in the longest line in the grocery store.
Love is patient, and its the first quality of love in 1 Corinthians 13.
Fighting against slavery and justice also includes fighting against companies who use sweat shops, child labor, and underpaying their workers. (research this one. You’d be shocked on what you’re buying and who you’re buying from that uses slavery)
Since I live in America, I am richer than 84% of the world.
I can go on for a while about this book. Its amazing. Read it. Eliminate Hurry from your life. This book changed my life and I HIGHLY recommend it. I put the link below to buy it on Amazon.