A Better Way预览

Unhurried Rhythms of Grace

Is the pace of your life robbing you of peace? Think about the past week. How many times were you in a hurry—rushing around from one thing to the next, unable to be present with the people around you? How many times did you say, “I’m doing well, just busy,” when people asked how you were doing?

Our hurried pace will never produce a heart of peace, so we stay stuck in the cycle of being busy, stressed out, and overwhelmed. But Jesus came to offer a better way. 

Now, let’s be clear: The way of Jesus is not easy, but it’s not busy—just look at His life. 

Jesus’ public ministry didn’t start until He was 30. And by many of our standards, we would say it had a slow start. The first thing Jesus does is get baptized, and before He does a single miracle, He gets this motivation from His Father:

 … “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17 NIV

And after that incredible moment, it’s still not time for a miracle. Jesus’ next stop was 40 days in the wilderness. 

His mission was urgent, but His method was patient. And after Jesus began working miracles and teaching crowds, He still took time to withdraw and to rest. Look at Luke 5: 

Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:15-16 NIV

If Jesus—the Son of God—knew He needed time with His Father, how much more do we? 

We—like Jesus—need to develop the habit of giving God our best while also trusting Him with rest. Jesus issues this invitation in Matthew 11:28 NIV: 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

We weren’t designed to be perpetually busy and burdened. So we have a choice. 

We can continue to use our busyness as a source of self-importance, leading to a life filled with stress and striving. Or we can view our busyness as an invitation to accept God’s gift of rest by bringing our worries to Him. 

You don’t have to prove anything to Your Creator. You don’t have to earn His approval or fight for His attention. 

It’s time to hand over our hurry and embrace a pace of grace.

Pray: God, I realize that I’ve been operating at an unsustainable pace. I’ve been feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, but I want to embrace Your better way of living. Help me fully accept and receive Your gift of rest, and show me how to live free from hurry, busyness, and striving. I trust You. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Practice: Commit to spending five minutes every day in silence and stillness, listening for what God might be saying to you.