What I’m Re-reading This Month

Sharing what I’m re-reading this Month, because we could all benefit from a reminder to slow down and be present. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Comer, is a faith and spirituality book, that reminds us to reflect on who we are becoming in a world of hustle culture.

Hello, my name is Krystal and I struggle with destination addiction. If you’ve never heard of this before. Don’t fear, I got you. Destination Addiction, is a term that explains people who believe that success is in a destination. Robert Holden, who coined the term, believed that some people struggle to experience happiness in the present, as opposed to the future. In other words, people with destination addiction believe that happiness, or success will occur later in the future, once “life or things” align the way they desire.

I’ve struggled with this thinking for a long time, but lately it’s been heightened. I fear that I am becoming a human doing, instead of a human being. All the hats that I juggle are meaningful and within my purpose. However, I wonder if I’m approaching it with the right mindset. I wonder if my constant hurry is unavoidable, or if I’m creating my own hurry. So I’ve decided to reread The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Comer , to gain some insight on my current hurried lifestyle. So far, this is what I’ve gathered:

1. Most of us live a hurried lifestyle because we believe that it’s all on us to survive and become successful.

Now, there is some truth to this. It does take effort and energy to survive in our society. As the phrase says, closed mouths don’t get fed. However, who gives us the energy and the mental, physical, and financial resources we need daily to stay afloat? God.

Not to sound preachy, but if we’re being honest. Coffee and caffeinated tea can only do so much for your energy levels. Yet, God sustains so many of us when we lack the energy to push through. Some of us are emotionally, physically, and mentally drained, yet God still allows us to show up to our jobs and families with enough to get us through.

When you partner with God, me becomes we. Then you recognize that it actually isn’t all in YOUR strength, its in HIS. And it’s ok if you have to remind yourself of that over and over again.

2. The hurried life allows us to avoid our deepest fears.

When we experience pain, we go to the doctor, or WebMD. If something happens to your car, we go to the dealer or a mechanic to see how they can diagnose and repair the car. Yet when it comes to our deepest fears and our longings, we rely on busy-ness instead of God.

Sometimes we fall for the trap of adding things, beliefs, and mindsets to our lives because we can’t manage the deafening silence of the unknown. The unknown part of the future is scary, and yet, losing yourself to a hurried life is just as scary. No matter how we busy ourselves, fear will always linger. In this book, John Comer challenges us to let go of the hurried life, and walk with God into the unknown.

3. The hurried life, reduces our capacity to love well. 

There’s a quote from the first chapter that has stuck with me.  It says, “The problem isn’t when you have a lot to do; it’s when you have too much to do and the only way to keep the quota up is, to hurry”. John Comer talks about the fruits of the spirit “love, joy, peace, etc” (Galatians 5: 22-23) and relates it to hurry. He shares that it is difficult to feel those three in the midst of hurry, and I agree.

When I’m in a hurry, I tend to be impatient with others. Some would even say that I act out of character. If someone desires to spend quality time with me, and I have a busy schedule that day, I may see that quality time as a nuisance, more than a moment to bond. Hurry steals the joy that God gives when we’re being present. It also reduces our ability to spend quality, meaningful time with God.

How could we say to God, the orchestrator of time, that we are too busy for him. But it happens. I’ve been there, and I still struggle with it. Which is why I’ve enjoyed reading this book. It’s leading me back to God, and away from the hurried life. After some time, you can only go so far operating in hurry. You start to lose your identity. Your relationship with God can become distant. And eventually, you may feel like an empty shell of a self. However, on the other side of hurry, is peace in God’s pace for your life.

If you have currently found yourself in a space of constant busy-ness and hurry. I encourage you to read this book. Even if you aren’t a Christian, I encourage you to read this book because we can all benefit from a slower paced life.

If you have any other book recommendations that you want me to read, drop some in the comments below or message me on Instagram!