All Weekly Sharpening Posts

June 1, 2023

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (Part 2)

John Mark Comer, the author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, shares honestly about his struggles with slowing down and embracing the bigger and fuller life that God wants for his children.  I appreciate his transparency.  The truth is most of us are running at an unsustainable pace and it is hurting us physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.

If I just described you, you’ll find this book challenging, encouraging, practical, and life-giving.

Here’s another excerpt to give you a taste (pages 82-83).

If you want to experience the LIFE of Jesus, you have to adopt the LIFESTYLE of Jesus.

When this clicked for me, it changed everything.  To break it down, a quick story.

I live right on the edge of downtown Portland in this fun micro-urban neighborhood.  Across the street is a house full of single people who are essentially a walking advertisement for Nike.  Nike is based in Portland’s suburbs, and I’m not sure if they work for the swoosh, or are sponsored, or what, but all six of them are avid runners.  Now, I run, but I’m not a RUNNER.  You know what I mean?  These people are runners. 

And frequently, early in the morning as I’m sitting there drinking my coffee and praying, I see them file out the front door to go for a sunrise run.  Naturally, they are all wearing tights, and trust me, they look GOOD.  Single-digit body fat.  That lean-but-not-muscular look.  Impeccable posture: shoulders back, chin up.  And then they start to prance…I mean, run.  They look more antelope than human.  Seriously, their warm-up is faster than my speed workout. (Granted, my speed workout is in need of a pick-me-up, but still.) 

And regularly as they run off, I think to myself, I WANT THAT.  I want to look good in spandex.  I want to run a six-minute mile without breaking a sweat.  I want that level of health and energy and vitality.

I want that life.

But then I think about the lifestyle behind it. 

While I was up watching “The Man in the High Castle” and drinking red wine until midnight (hypothetical scenario, I promise…), they ate celery and water for dinner and went to bed at 9 p.m.

While I was sipping my Kenyan single origin in my bathrobe, they were out sweating through the humid goo of summer and ice of winter.

When I run, I catch up on a podcast or stare off into space thinking about my teaching for Sunday; they run intervals every four hundred meters and stretch their lungs to the breaking point.

I run a cost-benefit analysis and quickly decide, as great as their tights look in the morning fog, it’s not worth the pain.  So I simply spectate.The reality is, I want the life, but I’m not willing to adopt the lifestyle behind it.

I think that’s how a lot of us feel about Jesus.   

Is this how you feel about Jesus?

Do you want the life but aren’t willing to adopt the lifestyle?  Unfortunately, many of us think this way and we need help. John Mark gets practical with what the lifestyle looks like.

We’re forming discussion groups now if you would like to join.  Click HERE.  We’re meeting four times over the summer to talk about what we are learning and how to apply it.

It’s worth the read, I promise you.