The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is John Mark Comer’s personal account of overcoming burnout and how he learnt to engage in spiritual practices that are life giving.
Comer begins by discussing the problem, both his own experience of busyness and the wider problem of the hectic pace many live at in the modern world. Many inventions have increased the speed of our daily lives. One of the most significant was the electric light which gave us the capacity to work beyond sunset. In more recent decades, the market has been flooded with labour-saving devices, but rather than having more leisure time, we work longer hours.
In the next section of the book, Comer gives an overall picture of the solution by looking at Jesus’ life on earth. He was never in a hurry and describes his way of life as “easy” (Matthew 11:28-30).
In the third section of the book, Comer describes in detail the four spiritual practices that he has found most helpful in eliminating hurry from his life. These are: Silence and Solitude, Sabbath, Simplicity and Slowing. He explains how each of these practices works in his own life while also pointing out that people’s different family and work scenarios mean these practices will look different in other people’s lives.
I read this book twice. It’s unusual for me to reread a book but I wanted to absorb more of Comer’s suggestions on slowing down. I’m finding it a challenging learning curve.
Overall a helpful and insightful read.
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