One of the replies that many people too often give to the question, “How are you?” is simply, “I’m so busy.” But here’s the truth about that, God never desires us to be busy. Productive? Fruitful? Yes to both of those, but certainly not so busy we can hardly breathe! This is the next behavior Mrs Meyer tackles and she calls it the Hurry Habit. The problem with always being in a hurry is that we usually are not enjoying life along the way to whatever it is we are so busy doing. She quotes Soren Kierkegaard as saying, “Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.” In other words, we don’t enjoy the ride, and we miss the destination when we finally get there!
So what’s the rush? We work so hard to have some time to relax and enjoy life when we should be relaxing and enjoying it all. The key, I think, is to discover what is truly worth enjoying, and hint hint, the things this world might point us towards, are often not what will fulfill this desire in us. Listen to what St Paul tells his protégé in 1Timothy 6:17, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1Ti 6:17) You see, God wants us to enjoy life, but we can only truly, and more consistently, enjoy life when we are following the One Who created Life, by focusing on the things that He says are really worth focusing on. If we are following the world, then our peace and joy will be as limited as this world is, since it is always changing. Better for us to learn how to follow God, who never changes, so we will be able to have peace and joy in all things.
Mrs Meyers says she could have called this important behavior the Habit of Peace, because that is the opposite of hurry. When we hurry we are rushing around so much, consumed by all that must be done, that we are often as far from calm as can be. And this is exactly where the enemy wants us, because when we are hustling about, we often do not think clearly…and if we are not thinking clearly, we are also not making the best decisions either. Let me give you a quick example from my own life: when I’m rushing around, I tend to grab whatever unhealthy meal I can get my hands on. Anyone else out there make this mistake? But if we first connect with God and have peace about what we are doing, then we have the wherewithal to make good choices instead. We can even plan ahead and bring our own meals with us, imagine that!?!? We can do this because, often as we develop this habit of being peaceful, we do have a plan in place that helps us navigate what we are doing, with the knowledge of why we are doing it. And hopefully, this schedule of ours includes a lot of margin too…more on that tomorrow.
14 Good Habits
Behavior 1: The God Habit
Behavior 2: Thoughts, Words and Habits
Behavior 3: The Habit of Being Decisive
Behavior 4: Healthy Habits
Behavior 5: The Happy Habit
Behavior 6: The Faith Habit
Behavior 7: The Habit of Excellence
Behavior 8: The Habit of Being Responsible
Behavior 9: The Habit of Generosity
Behavior 10: The Hurry Habit
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
April: Living the Resurrected Life: “The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life” by Dr Charles Stanley
May: My Spiritual Mom: “Making Good Habits Breaking Bad Habits” by Joyce Meyer
<>< Peace, Diane
