The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Part three: Practices for unhurrying your life
Slowing (1|4)
Pages 219-225 (END READING AT: Let’s bring it back: driving.)
Psalm 34:8 (NIV) Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Psalm 62:1-2 (NIV) Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly, he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Exodus 33:14 (NIV) The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Are you a rule follower or a rule breaker by nature? John Mark Comer says: Anti-rule people are often anti-schedule people, and anti-schedule people frequently live in a way that is reactive, not proactive. As more passengers than drivers, consumers than creators. Life happens to them, more than through them.
What is your response to this statement?
Are you anti-rule and anti-schedule, or do you find comfort in structure? Or do you vacillate between the two?
This chapter of the book contains 20 “rules.” As John Mark Comer says, they are not “spiritual disciplines,” and there will not be a lot of scripture in the content. That’s okay. It’s okay to get practical sometimes. As you go through them one by one, ask Jesus, Is this something I should make a habit or a discipline, or is it a good suggestion? Jesus didn’t drive a car (which is related to the first 4 rules we are looking at today) or field text messages, etc.
It might seem silly to invite Jesus to examine these four rules about operating a vehicle in modern-day life with you. However, the fact is, if we are living in the modern day and we have invited Jesus into our hearts, then how we behave and operate our lives can be done as an act of worship to his glory (even how we drive). Weird but true. It’s probably pretty common for a teenager to talk with Jesus before driving for the first time, about to take their test for their license, and driving alone for the first time. Maybe it should be more normal for us to pray every time we are about to drive?
1. Drive the speed limit.
2. Get in the slow lane.
3. Come to a full stop at stop signs.
4. Don’t text and drive.
What about people who don’t drive and only take public transit? Well, those people are operating on a higher spiritual level than the rest of us… just kidding. It’s a condition of the heart. These rules can be easily altered for public transportation or any form of commuting. How are you following the way of Jesus when going from point A to point B (especially when life throws an unexpected detour in the route)?