Stop Hurrying, Start Being: Finding Your Natural Rhythm
Because you've probably already quit your resolutions anyway...and that's okay!
Embracing New Rhythms: A Fresh Start in 2025
We're ten days into the new year, and here's a reality check: if you set goals or planned life changes, statistics suggest you might be wavering or have already given up. But before you abandon those aspirations, pause and consider this powerful truth:
"We overestimate what we can do in the short term and underestimate what we can do in the long term."
Don’t stop! Offer yourself some grace; today is a new and fresh day!
The Dance of Universal Rhythms
Have you ever noticed how deeply rhythm is woven into the fabric of existence? It's not just in music or the beating of our hearts – it's in the very architecture of the universe. Each day marks our planet's dance with the sun. Every month traces the moon's graceful cycle. And years? They're measured by Earth's grand orbital journey around the sun. These aren't arbitrary divisions – they're nature's own timekeeper, offering us continuous opportunities for renewal.
We find ourselves at one of these natural inflection points: a new year. It's more than just changing a calendar; it's an invitation to reboot, restart, retool, or perhaps most powerfully, to let certain things die. Because here's the profound truth: death and life are themselves rhythms, an eternal cycle where endings birth beginnings. Learning to embrace daily "deaths" – letting go of what no longer serves us – can lead to a life of beautiful surrender.
The Modern Paradox of Time
Consider how our relationship with time has evolved. The town clock in medieval squares served as a community heartbeat, orchestrating trade and social connection. Then came the Industrial Revolution's "time clock," transforming time into a measure of productivity. This shift fundamentally changed our relationship with time, often not for the better.
John Ortberg recently shared Dallas Willard's insights on "How to Get the Urgent Off Your Back," where Willard offered this striking definition:
"Hurry is the state of frantic effort one falls into in response to inadequacy, fear, and guilt." — Dallas Willard
This definition invites us to examine our relationship with hurry. While urgency sometimes has its place, the frantic energy born from inadequacy, fear, or guilt is not the life that we are intended to live. That IS NOT life and life to the full or the abundant life that Jesus calls for in the gospel of John. That's why Willard urges us to "ruthlessly eliminate hurry" from our lives.
Learning from the Unhurried Christ
Consider Jesus, history's most influential leader. The Gospels never once describe him running or hurrying. He moved with purpose but never with panic. As N.T. Wright beautifully articulates:
"If you want to know who God is, look at Jesus. If you want to know what it means to be human, look at Jesus. If you want to know what love is, look at Jesus. If you want to know what grief is, look at Jesus, and go on looking until you're not just a spectator, but you're actually part of the drama which has Him as the central character." — N.T. Wright
The Power of Being
As I embrace this new year, my focus word is simple yet profound: Be. Not do, not achieve, not accomplish – just be. Will I falter? Absolutely. Will some days feel like steps backward? Certainly, but as the universal rhythms continue their eternal dance, my prayer is to gradually become more aligned with my true nature, the person I was created to be.
Our Invitation
What needs to die in your life so something new can be born? What frantic efforts born of fear or inadequacy are you ready to lay to rest? Remember, death isn't just an ending – it's the soil from which new life springs.
Take a moment today. Breathe deeply. And consider: what are you ready to bury so something beautiful can grow in its place?
Recommendations:
John Ortberg's 1994 notes from a workshop with Dallas Willard (YouTube)
Top 7 Money Making Hacks for 2025 - The Diary of a CEO (Spotify)
Blueprint for a Transformative Year: The Knowledge Project (Spotify)
This was a pretty cool week in many ways. One way is I celebrated my 18th year at LIfe.Church. What a crazy ride! Nothing I would have ever imagined when we relocated from Dallas to Oklahoma. The journey has been full of so many highs and also had many challenges. I have grown in ways I would have never fathomed and been able to be a part of some fantastic moves of God. What a gift. In the words of the great Cousin Eddie, “It's the gift that keeps on giving all year long Clark!"
Until next time, Terry.
I'm not sure I could love the N.T. Wright quote more. Thanks for sharing!