Colleen Orchanian

Imagine, if you will, a morning when you overslept. You're running late for an appointment or work or getting the kids to school, and you need to hurry. Those are the days when more things will go wrong. Here are some actual problems I have encountered when rushing around in the morning: I burned myself with the curling iron, spilled something that required a change of clothes, banged my head into the TV while cutting the corner too short, and left something important at home. All of that hurrying backfired and I was even more delayed. Sound familiar?

Rushing is a normal response to time pressures, even though it's not very effective. I know that from experience, yet I often find that I, like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, am hurrying in mind and body. Sometimes I have to remind myself to slow down and breathe.

It's common to rush in our daily lives. We exceed the speed limit when we're running late. We rush through conversations because we need to be somewhere else, and that harms those relationships. We make hasty decisions because we think it's urgent, even when it's not.

In these examples, when rushing I am sometimes striving for productivity and efficiency. Just git 'er done. That motivation isn't likely to lead to the best outcome.

It's helpful to be able to recognize the signs of rushing so that we can slow down. You might feel tension in your shoulders. Movements in the body are quicker and less controlled. My foot might be bouncing up and down, for instance. You get irritable. When we recognize these signs, it can be a reminder to slow down.

Rushing through our daily activities is not a great practice. But even more harmful is when we rush through our spiritual practices. For example:

Prayers. I have specific prayers I read every morning: The Divine Office, Mass readings for the day, a meditation on those readings, and three prayers for intercession. Sometimes I feel that I'm rushing through them, trying to finish rather than entering into communion with God through the prayers. I'm distracted because the kids might wake up so I hurry. My end goal is to finish, which is wrong. I have learned to slow down and not worry about being interrupted. I can always return to prayer after the kids get to school. The shift is from getting through my prayers to spending time with God.

Meditation. I look for a Bible passage to ponder and want immediate inspiration. Hurry up, Holy Spirit! If the first passage doesn't do it, I look for another, bouncing around and waiting for the spiritual rush that never comes. Again, my goal is off. I want a specific feeling when the goal is union with God. I know if I stick with one passage, God can speak to me. Bouncing around never works.

Spiritual Reading. I find a great book and rush through it. I don't want to stop reading because I'm loving it. But some books are meant to be taken in small doses. Our Anxiety Support Group is currently reading the book, Be Healed by Bob Schuchts. Each week we read and discuss one chapter. I know that if I were reading this on my own, I would have finished by now and put it away. Because we're discussing each chapter as a group, it's slowing me down so that I can apply the content to my life. That is how spiritual reading should work.

The Bible talks about when we should be slow:

James tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak. Proverbs 29:20 says there is more hope for a fool than one who is hasty in his words. I have learned much from people who pause before they respond to a question. The first time it happened, I wondered if they had understood what I asked. Did I need to rephrase the question? Nope. They wanted to give me a thoughtful answer. What a concept! I have become better at listening first, especially through my work as a spiritual director.

Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed about the second coming of Jesus. We can be like Chicken Little telling everyone that the sky is falling! The Sky is falling! Panic is everywhere. Someone should have told that chicken to slow down. When you're in a panic, it's not God who brought you there. It's Satan.

Proverbs 14:29 cautions us about a hasty temper. We all know people who can go from calm to fireworks in seconds. We rush to conclusions. We rush to be offended. We rush to find blame. Again – this is not from God but from Satan.

In every case, the rushing comes from a focus on something of this world. Our mind is on the next thing on our agenda or finishing a task or dangers of the future or perceived personal slights. But what does God want? He wants us to live in the present moment. To remain in Him. To seek His will. To be at peace.

At the same time, there are examples from scripture when someone correctly acts in haste:

Mary goes in haste when she hears that her cousin Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist. From this, we can conclude that we, too, should go in haste to help someone in need.

Joseph departs from Israel and takes Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt when Herod is trying to kill the child. He leaves in the middle of the night after a visit from the angel. We act in haste to protect those in our care and obey God's commands.

How do I know when to rush and when to slow down? Notice how you are feeling. Are you distressed or at peace? Are you fearful or excited? Are you panicking? Are you reacting or responding? What spirits are working in you? The good spirits draw you closer to God. The bad spirits pull you away.

When you identify the spirit, you can respond. Receive God's grace to live in the present moment and listen to Simon and Garfunkle - Slow down – You’re moving too fast. Reject the enemy spirit and challenge the lies you are believing that lead you to rush. Be at peace in all things. God is with you.

Questions for prayer:

1. How does your body react when you are rushing? What physical changes can you identify?

2. What lies are you believing that trigger unhelpful rushing?

3. How does rushing impact your spiritual life? Do you need to slow down with something?