What’s Your Hurry?

Not enough time in the day? The days may be shortened, but can’t we slow down little?

By Rick Brinegar

 

Multitasking, hashtags, selfies, webinars, HOV lanes, fastpass, speed dating, speed this, express that, and all sorts of other gimmicks seem to be designed to fill up our days and help us hurry through our tasks. Staying busy seems to be the new normal.

 

There does seem to be, however, a remnant who yearns for a simpler time, when a person could savor the day and live life full measure. For example, Route 66 New Mexico magazine records how participants in an annual caravan along a portion of old Route 66 through New Mexico seem to have discovered a way to relive a period in American history. When the “Mother Road” was inaugurated in 1926, for the first time, a family could have the luxury of getting into the car and driving coast to coast, without ever leaving the same road. Once a year, “cruisers” in the New Mexico Motor Tour leisurely trace the old Route 66 roadway, which is, at times buried underneath the new Interstate Highway. They stop along the way, whenever they want to, to gaze at historical remnants of abandoned motels, gift shops and gas stations, sample local food, shop for souvenirs or take museum tours. If there are any roses in this arid part of the country, they stop to smell them.

 

We nostalgically perceive that the original Route 66 drivers, like these contemporary history buffs, were not so much concerned with how fast they could get from point A to point B, as they were excited about enjoying the journey, on a road that went all the way through, in no particular hurry.

 

There is such a contrast between this dreamy era and the times just ahead. At time is coming, according to the Bible, when things will get so bad, that “…except those days should be shortened…” (Matthew 24:22), even the small group of God’s faithful followers would be destroyed. For most of us it feels like the days are shortened already.

 

As for now, there is still time to cut through the extraneous distractions to get to what is most important in our lives. Psalm 46, verse 10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” If we could just take a break, we might have enough time to hear what God might want to say to us.

 

These are dangerous times. The Personal Protective Equipment full-body suit used by healthcare workers is, at the same time, the most effective barrier against the transmission of Ebola, and the easiest way to get it. Rushing through the arduous procedures of putting on or taking off the “moon suits” can be lethal.

 

Life is sort of like that. Life has to be deliberately experienced. At its best, rushing through life is unfulfilling. At its worst it is dangerous.

 

Think about it. When our lives are so cluttered that we bypass the present moment, we may be missing out on the fulfilling, joyful experiences God has planned for us. We race through life without connecting to our loved ones, and, here is the dangerous part, without connecting to the One who loves us supremely. Can’t we just slow down a little?