When Hurry Controls Our Lives

When was the last time your soul truly walked?

Not scrolled. Not skimmed. Not sped down the interstate with back-to-back podcasts. But walked with unhurried attention, with deep breathing, with enough stillness to actually feel God's presence?

We live in an age where everything is fast. Faster Wi-Fi. Instant groceries. Rapid replies. We idolize efficiency and hustle. We wear busyness like a badge. But while our bodies move quicker than ever, something eternal within us suffers. Because love is slow. Prayer is slow. Growth is slow. And our souls were not made to sprint.

The Virtue That Isn’t

Somewhere along the way, we believed the lie that hurry is a virtue. That if we’re not always producing, consuming, or connecting, we’re wasting time. But what if hurry is doing more harm than good?

Dallas Willard once said, “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” What if our frenzied pace isn’t a sign of progress, but a symptom of spiritual starvation?

Even in moments of apparent rest on our commute, waiting in line, rocking a child to sleep we often feel guilt for not “doing more.” As if stillness is laziness. But the truth is, some of the most productive things in God's kingdom can't be rushed. Like healing. Listening. Repentance. Peace.

The Savior Who Walked

Why do we speak of walking with Jesus? Because when Jesus came to earth, He walked. He didn’t ride in chariots. He didn’t fast-forward miracles. He didn’t rush from one town to the next. He walked with children, with sinners, with the hurting.

On His way to raise a dying girl, He stopped to heal an older woman (Luke 8:40–48). He paused to pray. He rested when tired. The Son of God, with the greatest mission in history, never once appeared hurried. And yet He accomplished everything the Father gave Him.

Shouldn’t that tell us something?

Still Rushed in a Slowed World

When the pandemic hit and our schedules evaporated, many expected peace to flood in. But for many, the internal hurry remained. Even without meetings, travel, or events, hearts still raced. We discovered that busyness wasn’t just external it had become internalized.

This is what happens when we forget how to walk.

Learning to Walk Again

The Christian life is described repeatedly as a walk:

• “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

• “Walk in love, as Christ loved us” (Ephesians 5:2).

• “Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:10).

• “Walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16).

Paul occasionally talks about running but even then, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. A slow, steady pace of obedience.

Walking acknowledges our limits. It’s honest about our finitude. It makes space for people, for prayer, for reflection. It prioritizes what matters. In short, walking is the human pace created, finite, loved.

The Gift of Limits

We were made with limitations on purpose. As John Mark Comer writes, “We’re not God. We’re mortal. Finite, not infinite. Image and dust.” (Hurry, 63)

And that’s not a defect. That’s part of our glory. When we stop pretending to be limitless, we actually begin to live. Because His power is made perfect not in our speed or output, but in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

When we learn to walk again, we learn to lean on God’s strength, not our own. And we make space to love.

The Gait of Love

Slowness in itself isn’t the goal. We don’t walk slowly just to feel better. We walk slowly so we can love better.

Love is not efficient. Love takes time. To really see people, to listen, to care, to pray, to disciple these all take a pace the world despises. But it’s the pace Jesus walked. And it's the pace the Spirit empowers.

“Walk by the Spirit,” Paul says, “and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). This is how we learn love, joy, peace, patience fruits that don’t grow in microwaves.

When we slow down with Jesus, we find rest (Matthew 11:28–30). And when we find rest, we become more available for what truly matters.

The Only Time to Hurry

Ironically, the Bible does tell us to hurry just not in the ways we expect.

When Zacchaeus met Jesus, He didn’t say, “Take your time.” He said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down” (Luke 19:5). And Zacchaeus hurried. Why? Because Jesus was calling.

The shepherds hurried to the manger (Luke 2:16). The disciples hurried to the tomb. When it comes to meeting with Christ, delay is dangerous.

So, by all means, hurry to Jesus. Rush to His feet. Race into His word. Sprint into prayer. But once you’re with Him slow down. Let His presence retrain your pace. Let His voice quiet the chaos. Let your soul learn to walk again.

Live at the Speed of Love

The world will not slow down for you. But you can choose to live differently. You can choose to walk in step with the Spirit. You can refuse to be hostage to hurry.

Because your soul was never meant to sprint. It was meant to walk with God.

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