“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30
Though I have resisted the hype around the book for a couple of years, I read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer this week. I guess I put it off for the same reason that I put off watching Ted Lasso for a couple years – it couldn’t possibly live up to the hype, right?
Turns out, I’m really glad that I finally read the book. Not because it was filled with earth shattering new ideas, but because it served as a really poignant reminder that our apprenticeship under Jesus, as Comer would call it, is not meant to be complicated, it’s meant to be really simple.
Our culture loves to complicate things through addition: another show to watch, another coffee shop to try, another trip to take. And while technology has made accomplishing tasks in our world so much more efficient, we still feel like we don’t have enough time. Through church sermons, teen talks, and devotional books, we encourage each other to make time for our relationship with God, but we shouldn’t have to make time for that relationship. The lifestyle of Jesus should be our lifestyle and we make time for other things out of that.
I often feel like I don’t have enough time in the week, but a closer look at how I spend my time reveals that I do indeed have time (quite a bit of it at the moment, pre-firstborn), I just choose to spend it on other things, like watching tv. The average American spends 35 hrs a week watching tv. The average American man has played 10,000hrs of video games by the time they turn 21. Yikes! There are other stats in the book, those are just top of mind because I relate to them so hard…
Basically the point of the book is this: do less worthless things, elevate God to the top of our priority list, detox from the phone that constantly distracts us with the mere potential of missing something, and importantly, practice Sabbath. In doing these things we will experience daily the full life that God has for us – the one we have likely glimpsed fleetingly at different moments in our life. We will experience a depth of faith, a grateful spirit, and rest in Jesus.
I believe that to be true. So this year, I am setting some intentions: spend more time alone at the feet of Jesus, further enhance boundaries around my phone usage, and more seriously practice Sabbath rest.
Blessings,
Michael
I recommend the book!
my own understanding 