Hurry

I have been reading a couple of books by John Mark Comer. In one of them, he asked his spiritual director what the secret to growing closer to God is. I’ll give you Dallas Willard’s answer here in a second.

 

That’s a good question we should ask ourselves often: What do I need to do to grow or feel closer to God?

 

God has already done God’s part. God can’t get any closer to us in any way. We have God ready and waiting at our side.

 

I have learned that through many spiritual struggles. I would often think that God wasn’t close to me. My spiritual director once said, “If you never prayed again, God wouldn’t love you any less.” It’s true. The problem of feeling God’s presence is a me thing … not a God thing. God can’t be any closer to me. 

 

However, I could do a lot to be closer to God. I could pray without ceasing, as Paul talked about. I could study more. I could give of my time, efforts, and resources to others. There is so much I could do.

 

There is a catch to all of this, though. If I want to do any of those things, there is something I must do first. Now, we get back to Willard’s answer to John Mark Comer’s question. The route to growing closer to God starts with the “ruthless elimination of hurry.” We live in such a busy, rushed society. People are often held in high esteem for being so busy. However, all that busyness keeps us from doing what we need to do (prayer, worship, service, study, etc.). 

 

Depending on where we are in life, different things will be keeping us plenty busy. Kids can get stuck in a rushed loop of school, homework, time with friends, and sports. As adults, we take care of those rushed kids, work, take care of our homes, and often care for our parents at the same time. 

 

We must not only eliminate hurry, but we also need to eliminate distractions. Yeah, that beloved cell phone and Facebook. TV? Yep, that too. Kids’ over-the-top sports schedules? That too. 

 

Once we find a way to slow down and remove distractions, then we have more room for God in our lives (that same God who is right there beside you already). That is the most important goal of our lives, and it’s right there ready to be had.