Monday, May 3, 2010

A Hurried Heart

"Hurry is a devious enemy." I read these words on a church sign as I drove by a while back. Told myself to remember them. Yeah, right.

By the time I got to my own church--a few miles away at the most--the only word of that five-word sentence that I could recall was the word hurry.

Should have known better than to rely on my short-term memory skills.

And I hear you laughing, sweet girl. Guess I deserve that one.

Are you wondering why I didn't just pull the car over to the side of the street and copy this meaningful little maxim on a scrap of paper while the sign was right in front of me?

Was there room on the street to pull over? Yes.

Was traffic a problem? No.

So, what happened? All right, I'll tell you why I didn't stop.

I was in a hurry.

Had a bad hair day. Clothes didn't look right. Had to change into a different outfit. Still not better. I was running way behind schedule.

Please tell me you've been there too. Hurrying to work or rushing around on a Sunday morning or sometime.

Just make me feel better, ok?

Well, later that week when I wasn't in such a big hurry, I went back and copied the quotation.

Now, I do admit to having a bit of a problem with that devious devil.

Like, I'm thinking I have a hurried heart at times when it comes to my relationship with God. Not a good thing, I know.

A girl with a hurried heart is hard of hearing. All she has time to listen to is the sound of her own voice. Not God's.

A girl with a hurried heart holds on to the wrong things. She seizes whatever looks good to her at the moment. She doesn't acknowledge that His desire is to hold her in the palm of His nail-scarred hands.

A girl with a hurried heart hesitates to ask for the impossible. She becomes increasingly self-reliant, but her strength isn't enough. She still can't do what only God can do.

I don't want to have that kind of heart anymore.

I want to hear Him. Want Him to hold me. I want to believe that He will do the impossible.

For it is with your heart that you believe...(Romans 10:10).

And I believe.

So I've asked Him to do a transplant. To take my hurried heart and give me a hungry heart. A heart that hungers for more of Him. His word. His will. A heart that believes that He can do anything.

No more hurry.

Just some time with our Savior. Slow. And sweet.

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17 comments:

  1. Yes, hurry make all things mess..and hurry make us far away from GOD voice, when we pray and we said Amen, we must wait patient for GOD to speak to us not in hurry :)

    good Post

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  2. What a great post. I am guilty of having a hurried heart. Just tonight I hurried my kids to bed so that I could hurry and finish my laundry. WOW, life is so much more than that. Blessings!

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  3. When I hurry I end up having to re-do things - sometimes more than once. When I take my time I find that it actually saves me time.

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  4. I usually have to redo and take more time when I hurry. I am looking forward to my commute next year...God and I will have a solid hour in the car....with no one running interference. Great Post Deb. Thanks for going back and writing it down.

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  5. "And I hear you laughing, sweet girl."--> You're talking to me, aren't you LOL!!

    1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

    And I don't know where this one came from, but~ A woman of faith, doesn't live in haste.

    Your post rings so true with me.

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  6. I really needed this. I seem to be in a hurry all the time lately. God just told me today that I am overreacting to the circumstances in my life and I need to slOOOOOOOOw down! ~ As I was reading this the thought came to my mind about Jesus on the cross. He wasn't in a big hurry to get down off that cross, he could have called in a host of angels to help him out. He could have come down from there, but he waited for God's time to be delivered, and that happened to be 3 days later after he waited awhile in that tomb! He knew his reward, he knew our reward, and he waited for it! Now he's sitting at the right hand of God, and because he waited we'll get to be with him there too! Thanks Deb!

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  7. "A girl with a hurried heart is hard of hearing." Yes! And I have to work at the discipline of just keeping the computer off to all the internet hurry to keep my heart quiet enough to hear God. That is where I'm at, Sister! Love your post.
    Amy

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  8. Hurry, isn't that our society's middle name? Yes, I hurry and then I get irritated because I'm a laid back person. So I guess that makes me double frazzled. Ahh, the quiet steady time of the Spirit. Thanks Deb.

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  9. boy I can so relate. I'm too much in hurry too many times. I drive myself nuts and also exhaust myself. great post as usual

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  10. Hurry will be our undoing. Thanks for this reminder, always so well put.

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  11. I needed this reminder, Deb. We hit the floor running in my house, and I need to remember to s-l-o-w down and listen to His voice.

    He gives me so much when I do. It's amazing all the creative things the Lord gifts me with when I take time to take a breath.

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  12. What a beautiful post, Deb. I confess. I have a hurried heart, too. This morning, I asked Him to help me love him more, want Him more. A hungry heart. I like that.

    So sorry we haven't connected by phone. Been thinking of you and praying for you so much. I'll try this weekend. Love you! ;0)

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  13. What a beautiful post as always, dear Deb. I have a hurried heart many times, you're not the only one. And how right you are to say that a woman with a hurried heart

    is hard of hearing...

    holds on to the wrong things...

    hesitates to ask for the impossible...

    becomes increasingly self-reliant...

    Oh dear, these are things you and I do not want to become!

    So like you I want to ask God to quiet me and slow me down.

    Thanks for this post!

    Love
    Lidj

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  14. I love this - the girl with the hurried heart.

    Again, it'll work for the bible study so I am SO taking it!

    Hope you had a marvelous Mothers Day!

    Thanks,
    Margie

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  15. Hi Deb,
    Ironically, I just typed, is this weekend already over? Before your words of hurrying really seeped their way into my brain. Seems like all I do is hurry from one thing to the next. A good reminder to take the time we need with our precious Father!

    Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day this year. And I really hope you got to spend it with your precious hubby. I had the best Mother's Day ever, and I am so thankful for my sweet family.

    Take care, hoping I have more time this week to spend time catching up with all my blogland friends!
    Kate

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  16. A girl with a hurried heart becomes increasingly self-reliant...

    Ummm, how do I know this one? How I pray to live an unhurried life, so that I can know the strength and power that is God's gift to me each and every day. By acknowledging his presence in my life, I can live victoriously, unhurried and unfettered by the trappings of this world.

    Slowing down to see him today...

    peace~elaine

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  17. Great words! Thank you for sharing them! ♥ Michelle

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