What's the Rush?

Faster is not always better

By Darrel Lee

Hurrying seems to have become a permanent way of life in our society. As a boy, I remember hurrying to get my dad a tool he needed while helping him work on the irrigation pump at the river. I took pride in running several hundred yards to the barn and returning as briskly as possible with the tool he requested. Swiftness was of the essence.

I hoped for a similar response from my children when they complained about taking a turn to load the dishwasher one evening after dinner. My challenge was, “I could have loaded the dishwasher in the three minutes you just spent complaining.” Instead, when they insisted that it couldn’t be done that quickly, I hurriedly proved them wrong. Upon watching me prove my point, they were clearly satisfied.

You have probably operated in a hurried manner this very day. Our life styles seem to demand it. Businesses such as drive-through fast food restaurants and one-hour photo developing accommodate people who are on the run. These businesses market themselves as time savers, thus allowing us to dash on to more pressing matters.

We are quickly confronted with a conflict caused by haste, because the same society which advocates the necessity of hurrying will see that we are ticketed for driving sixty-one miles per hour in a fifty-five mile an hour zone. In some cases, the price tag attached to a rushed life style includes pharmaceutical payments for remedies marketed as the calming variety.

It is easy to see that faster is not always better.

In fact, we learn from the Bible that some things simply cannot be accomplished in a hurry. For example, James writes of the necessity of having patience during testing times. (See James 1:2-4.) The desire to hurry through a spiritual affliction, persecution, or trial will bring a conflict, for trials generally far outstay their welcome. However, while we have little control over how long they last, we have complete control over our level of patience while they linger. Patience is persistent firmness in the face of continued adversity, and this requires a span of time to elapse. Hurrying will only frustrate the process that God intends for us to endure. The mark of the perfect man described by James is that he is a product of growth through trial rather than a sudden product. Christian growth cannot be hurried any more than the physical developing process of a growing child.

Having stated that, we certainly do not want to stunt our spiritual development by resisting the growing opportunities that God allows to come our way. Perhaps that is why James later stresses the necessity of submission to God. (See James 4:6-8.) We will either submit to God and resist the devil, or we will submit to the devil and resist God. Those choosing the former will be recipients of God’s grace, and this will enable them to have joy even in testing times. Solomon wrote, “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Hurrying will rob us of the beauty God intends for us to glean from the trial.

We also learn from James that some prayers cannot be effectively prayed in a hurry. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). While it is true that God will hear a hurried prayer that is prayed, for example, the instant before a sudden auto accident, those are not the kinds of prayers around which we build a lifelong Christian experience. James refers us to the example of Elijah’s earnest prayers which were answered by God. The description of his prayers as earnest and fervent suggest a time spent alone with God. It reminds us of Jesus’ words instructing the disciples to “tarry” until their prayers were answered (Luke 24:49). To tarry is to “sit down and continue for a time,” so obviously prayers of this kind cannot be prayed in a hurry.

James also wrote, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). Some talk in a hurry, others listen in a hurry. Being swift to hear does not suggest we should be fast listeners. Rather, it means we should be eager and attentive to listen more than anxious to speak. Good listeners are good learners. Perhaps the man who forgot what he saw in the mirror (James 1:24) was in just too big a hurry to learn from what he observed. It is difficult to be an effective listener or learner when in a hurry!

Are you dashing through life? What is the rush? Why do you need to load the dishwasher in three minutes? Slow down when you can, and take advantage of those times to speak with and learn from the Lord. Appreciate the goodness of God as you move from hour to hour throughout each day.

Darrel Lee is Superintendent General of the Apostolic Faith work.