Are you Living in the tyranny of the Urgent?
Small and rural church pastors can easily find themselves Living Under the Tyranny of the Urgent.
We only have 24 hours in a day, but what if we had 30? It would give us more time to complete the tasks we never seem to have enough time for. All of us have things left undone at the end of each day--letters that go unanswered, friends we wish we had more time for, and books collecting dust on our shelves. Wouldn't it be nice to feel like we could accomplish something?
Many times when I call my dad I will ask him what he has been doing since our last call. His replies generally sound something like this, “well son, I had a million things to do today and I could hardly get anything done.” It seems like we are all fighting a never-ending battle against the clock. We live under the tyranny of the urgent.
The urgent always cries out for our immediate attention and seems to suck up all of our energy. This leaves us feeling overwhelmed and stressed. It's no wonder that so many solo pastors feel like they can't keep up. If we had more time, would we be able to solve the problem? Or would we eventually get just as frustrated with the extra hours?
If we take a step back and think about it, we'll realize that our problem isn't just a lack of time, but misplaced priorities. Hard work isn't always detrimental--in fact, sometimes it can be beneficial. We've all been in moments where we're working on something important and time seems to fly by. We feel both exhausted and accomplished after a long month or year, as we look back at all the work we've done and also realize how much is left undone. Doubt and uncertainty fuel our anxiety as time marched on relentlessly. We sometimes have a sense of unease, knowing we aren't doing what's truly important. Whether it be from outside forces or our own inner compulsions, we can end up feeling frustrated because we allowed the urgent to divert us from the things that matter.
The urgent will always be there, but we don't have to live under its tyranny. We can take back control of our time and priorities by learning to say no to the non-essential. This doesn't mean that we should never rest or have fun--in fact, these things are important for our mental and physical health. But we need to be intentional about how we spend our time so that we can focus on what's truly important.
It is easy to get caught up in the guilt and shame of the fact that we have done those things which we ought not to have done (the urgency of the moment), and we have left undone those things which we ought to have done (the important). Second-guessing ourselves where we have used the time that was allotted to us to its greatest advantage and doing the most important things. It has been said that “your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important.”
We are always trying to balance what is urgent with what is actually important. The difficulty lies in the fact that a lot of essential things don't have deadlines. These activities can usually wait a while longer, such as extra hours of prayer and Bible study, visiting an elderly friend, or reading an important book. Sometimes, we have urgent but less important tasks that demand an immediate response. This pressure can make us feel like we're working all waking hours.
A person's home is no longer a haven or private oasis. The telephone constantly distracts us with its ringing and demands our attention with its urgent messages. It can be difficult to resist the lure of these requests, and they can quickly drain our energy. But, in the grand scheme of things, their momentary prominence fades. We often look back with a feeling of loss after we've been set aside from something important, realizing that we've become slaves to the tyranny of things that seem urgent. Is there any way out of this cycle? The answer can be found by looking at the life of Jesus Christ.
In the Garden of Gethsemane
On the night before he was to die on Calvary's cross, Jesus made an astonishing claim to His Father. In His great prayer of John 17:4, He said to His father, "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do." During His three-year ministry, Jesus was never without a sense of urgency. He was always aware of His purpose and mission. Even though He knew the great cost of completing that mission, He never wavered.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see Jesus' humanity on display as He wrestles with the weight of what is about to happen. At that moment, He could have been consumed by His own sense of urgency. But instead, He submitted to the will of His Father.
You might think that it's premature for him to speak about a finished work, especially since His ministry was only three years. Although a prostitute found hope and a new beginning at Simon's banquet, many continued their previous line of work. For every 10 people who had been healed, 100 more remained sick. The blind, disabled, and ill were widespread throughout the land. Although there were still many problems to be solved and tasks left undone, Jesus found peace in knowing that he had completed the work his father had given him.
And the gospel of Mark
the gospel records show that Jesus worked hard. After describing a busy day mark reports, "that evening after sunset, the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who was various diseases. He also drove out many demons." Mark 1:32-34
Mark goes on to show that there were other times when the sick and injured kept Jesus and his disciples so busy they didn't even have time to eat. However, after yet another strenuous teaching session, Jesus and his disciples left the crowd and got into a boat. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. through it all Jesus was sleeping in the bow of the boat on a cushion. Mark 4:35-38. What a picture of exhaustion!
Jesus was never pressured by Hurriness
Jesus always made time for people. He could spend hours talking with just one person, like the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. His life showed perfect balance and timing. Once, his brothers urged him to go to Judea but Jesus replied that for them anytime was right, but "the right time for me has not yet come" (John 7:6).
Jesus never allowed Himself to be hurried
There was never a sense of panic or crisis in His life. He was always calm and collected. In fact, the only time we see Jesus in a hurry is when He's clearing the temple of those who were commercializing it (John 2:13-17).
Even in the face of death, Jesus remained unflappable. As He stood before Pilate, who had the power to condemn Him to die, Jesus said, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above" (John 19:11).
What can we learn from Jesus?
When we get caught up in the hurrying of life, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus is the perfect example of how to live with a sense of urgency without succumbing to pressure. He always remained focused on His mission and purpose.
When we find ourselves becoming slaves to our own sense of urgency, we can ask God for help.
People may try to place undo pressure and their sense of urgency upon you but we need to stay clear on what is important and necessary in the Kingdom's work.
If you're feeling pressure to hurry, ask God for wisdom and strength.
If you find yourself always in a rush, take a step back and analyze your priorities.
Ask God to help you stay focused on what is truly important.
And as you live your life with a sense of urgency, don't forget to take time to enjoy the moment and the people around you.
After all, life is short!
In John 12:23-28 Jesus said
"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
He will give us the strength to slow down and live a life that is focused on Him.
key takeaways:
- Jesus was never without a sense of urgency
- He always remained focused on His mission and purpose
- When we find ourselves becoming slaves to our own sense of urgency, we can ask God for help.
- He will give us the strength to slow down and live a life that is focused on Him.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." -John 10:10
