Slow Down

TITLE: SLOW DOWN

SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 5:15-16

I came across an article about a real problem that is afflicting most people in the 21st century. It is called “Hurry Sickness.” Hurry Sickness, first diagnosed in the late 1950s, has reached epidemic proportions. So, I thought this would be a good topic for this week’s sermon. It was a Dallas Internist by the name of Dr. Larry Dossey who first coined the term that describes this problem plaguing our society.

Hurry Sickness is defined as -

• A modern malady caused by rushing about

• A compulsion to do everything quickly

• A chronic feeling of being short of time

• It is attributed to the fast pace of modern life and causing symptoms such as Anxiety and Insomnia

People who hate to wait suffer from what he calls “Hurry Sickness,” which he defines as “an increased sensitivity to the passage of time.” I am not sure about you, but I am afraid to admit, I know more about this problem than I would like to admit. I find that I have been in a hurry for so long that I can’t remember when I wasn’t. I am sure I am not the only one who lives this way.

• People talk about having their plates too full

• About living in the fast lane

• About not having enough hours in the day

There are some symptoms of “Hurry Sickness” that are quite interesting? Here are a few.

• We are constantly looking at our watches and saying, “Just look at the time! I’m going to be late”

• We hate waiting

• At the Post Office we sigh impatiently as a customer up front is taking forever

• We hate waiting at traffic lights – as we approach the red light we look to see what kind of vehicles are already stopped – if there is a truck or an older looking car in one lane we pull into the other because we want a quick get a-way

• At the supermarket, if you have a choice between two check-out lines, you note the number of people in each line and multiply this number by the number of items per cart

• If you are still standing waiting to be served and the people in the other lane get away before you do, you feel annoyed

Evidence of “Hurry Sickness” is seen whenever you are traveling by air. As soon as the plane lands and the seat belt sign is turned off people stand, get their hand luggage, and crowd in the aisle – all the time knowing full well that it will be another 10 minutes before they will start moving toward the exit. Some in the back of the plane will almost run you over to get a few feet closer to the exit door.

We want to Slow Down, but we are afraid the world will fall apart if we do. The reality is, one day we all slow down — permanently. And the world will go right on without us. Hurry Sickness is especially prevalent among highly motivated, achievement-oriented people. It often sets in around age 30 and gets worse with the passing years.

When it comes down to it, we must agree -- time is an interesting concept. Before God created the heavens and the earth there was no time. God is eternal, and therefore he is outside of time. This is why Peter wrote in II PETER 3:8 “BUT, BELOVED, BE NOT IGNORANT OF THIS ONE THING, THAT ONE DAY IS WITH THE LORD AS A THOUSAND YEARS, AND A THOUSAND YEARS AS ONE DAY.” And yet God entered time when Jesus Christ took on human flesh and was born into our world as a baby in Bethlehem.

Some like to think they are masters of time. We even have atomic clocks these days to measure time out precisely to the nano-second.

• But we don’t really understand time

• There are moments when time seems to go rushing by

• Other times when the clock seems to stand still

• There are moments when we are very much aware of time, such as when we are working on a project with a deadline, racing the clock, fighting against time

• And then there are those wonderful times when we let go of our watches and clocks and enjoy a day of leisure and rest and hardly notice the time passing at all

I lift up such a simple thought this morning for us – Slow Down. I often hear those around me proclaim - “my, how time flies!”

• Time doesn’t really fly

• The clock ticks away at the same speed every day, day in and day out

• The days of the week, the years pass by at the same speed as they have since the dawn of time