Sorry, I can’t stop right now - I’m in a rush!

Article Date: 22/09/2014 15:06:21

How often do we hear that phrase or perhaps say it ourselves? Too often I’m sure. Within an ‘instant’ society where everyone can be reached 24 hours a day, we are bombarded by drama, adverts, etc. Everyone is telling us about a new ‘must-have’ or quick fix that will surely make our life better.  The more we hear it, the more it must be true, right? Wrong! However, as the saying goes, you are what you think. The more exposure we have to these things, the more likely these thoughts are going to start to take root.

In our need to ‘rush’, even our relationships are suffering. When was the last time you had an enjoyable conversation with a friend or family member without your phone interrupting you repeatedly?  Even our churches can feel less like a ‘community’ at times and more of a ‘volunteers needed’ notice board, focusing on the numerous ‘vacancies’ rather than our relationships with one another. How long has it been since you called your church leader or a fellow church member just to chat instead of to arrange something with them?  

With so much going on, it’s not all that surprising that sometimes we just have to ‘shut down’ everything around us in order to keep ‘sane’.  If you are like me, you are also ‘selfish’ with your free time, choosing to do the things you love during those occasions. Here’s a challenging question: How often do you dedicate some of that free time to focus on growing in your Christian faith?  (I admit that I do less than I should.)

So what can we do to stop this trend of being too busy, to stop, grow and share?  Things are not necessarily going to ‘slow’ down just because we want them to – but we can start to make some changes to our routines that will greatly impact our lives and our relationships.  Here’s some suggestions from our CLC USA Director, David Almack:

Commit to spending significant time with the Lord in prayer and meditation every day.  

Choose a selection of Christian books that will truly edify and enlighten, not just entertain you.

Try to drastically reduce the time spent indulging in other forms of entertainment like TV, movies,  etc.  

Plan to deal forthrightly with the greatest time stealer—social media.  Set regular times to check in and respond to posts but stay off it for the rest of the day!  (Now that will be a challenge for me!)

Include others in your bold plans so that you can enjoy reading and sharing together.  These times of discussion will not only build up your faith but also your relationships.  

Remember: Our thoughts greatly impact our lives—the more ‘good’ we put in, the more ‘good’ will come out! 

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.   Phil. 4:8

Keywords: CLC USA, David Almack