Always in a Rush: Part One

Time from a Biblical Perspective

I mutter a quick prayer, grab my keys, and head out the door. My phone rings, and one quick look at the screen gives enough reason to let it go unanswered. I unlock my car, throw my laptop bag into the passenger side, and slide onto the driver’s seat. I look at my watch, swear under my breath, and jam the accelerator down. As I munch on a muesli bar, I run my fingers through my hair, and try to make my pants look half ironed. I desperately hope for green lights and no cop cars; at least then I might be able to have a coffee before my 8am clock-on time. Thirty seconds later, I slam on the brakes, silently cursing at the idiot who shouldn’t be in the right hand lane.

This is a fictional example, because in real life I often walk to work (but at the same time I don’t like to miss my morning coffee J).

But all of us can relate in some way to this short example, or perhaps draw it further into our lives.  Do we go from day to day rushing around like madmen trying to get to our next appointment on time? Do we go 63km/hr because it’s only 3km/hr over the limit… or avoid that awkward conversation because it’ll take too long… or not do pre-study for Bible study club because we didn’t have time… or (insert your own example here)?

In this article I wish to question what time means to us amidst the daily rush of life, and where our priorities lie in relation to this.

Always in a Rush

If any of you are anything like me, it’s difficult to get to places on time. It seems that being in a constant rush has become a normal part of life, also in general society. But should this be part of a Christian’s life?

To illustrate this further, allow me to ask some more questions. Are we prepared to speed because we desperately needed that 5 minutes on Facebook before we left? Can we skip our night-time devotions because we really need 7 hours of sleep? Can we get to church late and not mentally prepared because we needed to meticulously style our hair? I could add many more examples here, but hopefully you get the picture: We are constrained by time, and often this constraint results in negative effects or wrongdoings.

So then, if we are always late or in a rush, what becomes a priority? Getting to places on time, or meditating on the Bible and praying? Do we skip over things like family devotion time to ensure we meet our commitments? What is ruling our lives: The need to be at certain places on time or spending quality time communicating with God?

How we use our time- effectively and to God’s glory- that is in our control, and is also our responsibility. So, if the rest of the world is in a rush (because let’s face it, most things can’t wait for tomorrow), then how are we living? Are we conforming to the world, or using our time for a different purpose?