When I hear the voice of urgency telling me that everything must be done RIGHT NOW, that is when I know it is time to step back and slow down. The voice of urgency is not the voice of God- it is the voice of anxiety, and I have become so familiar with it that I unwittingly obey every time, a slave to its never-ending demands. I must do everything, all at once, or else I will completely forget about it and my life will fall apart and (insert anxious doom-thought here)! Do, do, do! -that’s what it cries. It gets to the point where I cannot even sit down for a meal without checking my email, text messages, and Facebook as I shovel down my frozen Trader Joe’s tamales-all in the space of two minutes.
This is not God’s way.
Instant gratification is one of the greatest evils of our society, as my psychology professor is quick to (correctly) point out. Multitasking is a highly praised skill (even though it is not actually possible) and the quickest fix is the best fix. If you aren’t working through your to-do list as fast as possible, you aren’t really working at all. My needs and wants are the most important thing right now, and everyone must pay attention to me. Grab what you want in life when you can because you are your own advocate and if you don’t look out for yourself, who will? Run, push, step on, shove!
God laughs. Don’t you see your madness?
Urgency is a trap, it is selfish, and it robs the joy from the present. There is another way: intentionality. Intentionality focuses us on the present instead of making us worry about the future. It allows us to enjoy what we are doing, where we are, as imperfect and flawed as it may be. It acknowledges that there are things that need to get done, but also that those things will get done at the right time and in the right way, and that is out of our control. Urgency is all about control- my way! my time!. Intentionality is about setting us free to do the work we are made to do and to do it completely and fully, instead of the busywork that brings us no fulfillment or enjoyment.
So when I hear the cry of Urgency trying to fluster and flounder me (which is almost every second of the day), I will choose to listen to Intentionality instead- to be absorbed in what I am doing and know that I am doing it for the glory of Christ, even if it is scrubbing the crust off of the dirty fork in the sink for the millionth time. He wants us to be fully engaged with where we are, instead of hastily running a race to nowhere. There is no fulfillment or satisfaction in urgency, but with intentionality we can learn to slow down and hear God’s voice…and intentionally obey.
rhythms of grace 