I had been sensing for a while an invitation in prayer to slow down, especially after reading this blog post that struck a deep chord in my heart. I started to pay attention to when I responded to the perennial question of “How are you?” with “Busy”—and reframed it as “Full.” I intentionally took time in my day to recreate, not just pretend that I was doing so.
And then I received another assignment from my religious order. Not just an assignment change, but an additional assignment—one that left me with one and a half full-time jobs. Busy had just ratcheted up to the snowball barreling off the mountain at top-notch speed, gaining momentum and snow every second. You get the idea.
Yet I knew the invitation from the Lord to slow down still stood. Slowing down wasn’t in contradiction to my apostolate(s). Both were good, and I was invited to pursue both. How in the world was I going to slow down AND stay on top of the work entrusted to me?
My first objective was: Be covered in prayer. I asked my sisters to pray intentionally for me and the work entrusted to me. A gift of religious life is that my prayer life is structured, but I still have my responsibility to show up and actually dialogue with the Lord. I talked to the Lord about how my brain was running circles around my prayer time as I tried to keep my gaze on Him. I settled into His gaze of patient mercy and held on.
My second objective was: Seek advice from those whom I trust, and whom I know are also living busy and full lives. They helped me set up systems. They talked me through best practices. And one said: “You’ve got to read this book.”
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The book is The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. I highly recommend it—no matter what season of life you are in. Maybe you’re in a double-time mode or a quieter season, but there are gems and wisdom in this book for everyone. I say this because our culture is one of hurry, and no matter how strongly we resist or fight, we get sucked in by the noise and busyness of the world. Even if you are living in a convent.
What I loved about this book is that I felt deeply seen. That seems silly to say about a thing, but there were so many times I thought, Yeah, that’s me . . . What, it’s not just me?! I thought I was the only one who was “distracted from distraction by distraction”—a quote by T.S. Eliot that Comer references in his book.
Talk about references—this book is widely footnoted with brain research, the Saints, and wisdom Comer has gathered on his own journey to eliminate hurry from his life. He points to the brain research that shows that humans have an eight second attention span. (Interestingly enough, it was only twelve seconds before the digital revolution we live in.) Though he is not Catholic, many, if not most, of the conclusions he comes to will be familiar: observing the Sabbath, fasting, living a gospel-centered life. These are mixed in with extremely practical advice, including the following: observe the speed limit, set time apart to check email, and get in the longest line in the store (to cultivate patience). He reminds his readers to learn to recognize the propaganda in advertising that wants you to do more and get more, and evaluate the true cost of an item before it is bought—including the new time investment it will require.
In our culture that screams, “Slow is bad and fast is good!” we need reminders that it is more than okay to seek and strive for balance. It is beautiful to practice simplicity and abide where we are. This book is an easy read, but filled with profound reminders that we are not made for hurry.
Ultimately, the advice and conclusions are to not only eliminate hurry from your life, but live more in the image and likeness of God. God does not hurry. God is love, and love does not hurry. In reality, “love is painfully time consuming”—in other words—love is patient.
Sr. Mary Claire of the Holy Family is a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) and currently serves in Corpus Christi, TX. She loves Jesus and Mary, and her students would say every Saint is her favorite. She graduated with a degree in elementary education and is currently working on a Masters in Theology from her Alma Mater, Franciscan University. A Tennessee girl who could live off Dr. Pepper and popcorn, she loves road trips, especially this one we are on to Heaven.
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