I wonder if youve ever read a book and wished you had written it!! This was my experience with the recent The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry How I wish I had written this, encapsulating research, contemporary cultural analysis, wisdom from the ancients, basic common sense and profound challenge about being a follower of Jesus.
As an English woman, I reacted quite strongly at times to the American style of this writer, but getting past that, I have been so struck by the power of the book to put truth starkly. The irony is how quickly one can read it and how the internal hurry driver enables it to be read in a few short hours! And yet, as I seek to apply the wisdom and wellbeing into my own life, I am conscious of a daily need for the remainder of this life.
I really cannot commend this book highly enough and I know that if only a few of us took it seriously we would be modelling something radical and life-giving and yet as ancient as the universe. Comer reminds us of the spiritual disciplines of Silence and solitude, Sabbath, Simplicity and Slowing. He is uncompromising about the need for Christians to put life giving principles into practice in our daily lives and identifies personally with the struggle we all have in this. We are culturally geared now to live relentlessly rather than restfully, but his practical recommendations to live in this more healthy and godly counter-cultural way of being are so helpful. He reminds us that Hebrews 4:11 speaks of the command to enter rest as needing hard work to reach.Another wonderful irony! Our intentionality, planning and preparation, and self-control are vital to cultivate a sense of restfulness which is not the same as a day off! Comer cites Walter Brueggeman People who keep sabbath live all seven days differently. So if you read one book in the coming months let me encourage you to make it this one! It could be life changing.