a generation of hurry
Ellie McBain asks whether there is another way?
Ellie McBain recently graduated from Newcastle and outgoing chair of the CMF Student Council
Wake up, have breakfast, commute to placement, make sure to get my sign-offs, have case discussions, commute home, do some exercise, revise, cook, have dinner, socialise with housemates — my day is often full of rushing from one thing to the next. With endless to-do lists, I’m always thinking about what I need to be doing, not wanting to waste my time, and wanting to lead a balanced life. Yet in all of the rushing and the chaos, my screen time is up to a few hours a day with periods of endless scrolling on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and where does time with God fit into my busy daily schedule? Often it doesn’t, or it gets squeezed and becomes a tick box activity. As a final year medical student, this is the time for me to implement good patterns and practices into my life to thrive as an FY1 — yet in this generation of hurry, is there another way?
I was challenged recently reading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (a fantastic book which I would thoroughly recommend reading, especially if you’re a final year student like me).[1]Hurrying is endemic to our society — we rush to get things done, not building in time around our activities to have space to not rush, and it is a challenge to live at a counter-cultural pace. I’m addicted to my phone, to ‘doom scrolling’, to notifications popping up, to replying to messages, to emails, and to researching something on my phone whilst something else happens in the background. And I know it’s not just me. It’s reported that people born in and after 1996 (Gen Z) watch more than seven hours of videos per day, bouncing from TikTok to YouTube to Netflix, and this is on the rise.[2]The problem with hurrying is that the busyness we live in is a barrier to our spiritual lives: it keeps us from God but also from love, joy, and peace, things that we get from God. Everything takes time, friendships take time, and knowing God takes time and how we spend our time determines the type of person we become.
When we look at Jesus, we can see that even with his sense of purpose and urgency, he was rarely in a hurry, and Jesus led a ministry of interruptions. His already full schedule was interrupted when he was teaching inside of a house — suddenly, the ceiling was falling in, and four men were lowering their friend into Jesus’ lecture![3]Even Jesus’ quiet time and sleep was interrupted.[4]He was in the boat with the disciples, trying to get some much-needed rest, and they interrupted that sleep because they were afraid. Yet he didn’t get annoyed at being interrupted!
how can I… be more like Jesus in this modern day of tech and hustle culture and busyness and chaos?
How would Jesus live if he were me, a medical student facing exams, placements, trying to find some sort of work-life balance, and awaiting the beginning of my professional career as a junior doctor in the NHS? So, the question is: how can I adopt a similar lifestyle and be more like Jesus in this modern day of tech and hustle culture, busyness and chaos?
Comer writes about four practices in our life that we can implement to combat some of this busyness, and to stay emotionally healthy and spiritually alive.
1. silence and solitude
Being with God in times of quiet is where our strength comes from. In a noisy house, or when you have no peace and quiet on your commute, it can be difficult to find time to sit in the moment with your thoughts, with God, and be present. Jesus often withdrew and fitted silence and solitude into his day even when busy and chaotic, utilising time late at night or early in the morning. I know I struggle to wake up early and find it hard to focus on God when I’m drifting off to sleep late at night, but if this is where strength comes from, am I prioritising it?
2. sabbath
Sabbath is a day every week to rest and worship, to stop and delight. Not just a day off work, a day to do a food-shop, laundry, or to fit in all the other chores I can’t fit into Monday to Friday, but a day that will fill my soul with joy. When exam season approaches, or sport tournaments take you to another city for a weekend, it is easy to lose this day. Sometimes, it is about doing your best with this practice. The question to ask is, ‘What can I do for 24 hours that fills my soul with joy?’ — and if I only have two hours one weekend, ‘What can I do in that time to fill my soul with joy?’
3. simplicity
This goes against the ‘isms’ of society: consumerism and materialism, for instance. My house is filled with different bits of clutter: multiple tote bags I’ve picked up at fresher’s fairs, numerous free pens (although I would say pens are always useful!), and those anatomy flashcards I thought would be useful. Every year, moving my possessions from one student house to another, I’m astonished at how much stuff I have — much more than I need. The saying ‘a tidy home means a tidy mind’ brings truth when we think about un-hurrying our lives. What possessions matter most to me? Do I actually need ____? Can I live with less?
4. slowing
Stop multitasking and be fully present in the moment. Everything we let into our minds influences the soul — so slow down! Practically, I think this means evaluating my phone use, perhaps setting aside specific time to scroll on social media, and to reply to emails. Stop bingeing Netflix. Don’t rush everything you do (even walking — I don’t need to power walk everywhere). Slow down and spend time alone reflecting. For some, this might be journalling, praying, or meditating on Scriptures. It doesn’t always have to be spiritual activities, but slowing those things we already do is the opposite of hurrying.
The goal is practice of these four things, not perfection. I know it’s a process, but as I think about starting FY1, I know that I want to follow Jesus’ example, be tuned-in to God, and try to eliminate some of this hurry from my life.
Eliminating rush from our lives can often seem unrealistic or impractical. In a work week that as a junior doctor averages 48 hours, it may feel like the only way to stop hurrying is to reduce our hours at work, and with that, take a pay cut. I think it is more about how we can take a slightly different approach than those around us, how we can mitigate some of the problems of busy lives by taking a short amount of time in the quiet, prioritising some time for a Sabbath, getting rid of items we do not need, and taking some activities a bit slower.
I challenge you to take one of the practices and practice it! What would it look like for Gen Z to rule out the rush from our lives?
