Friday, August 15, 2008

What's the Hurry?


I betcha I tell my kids to "hurry" ten times per day. Sometimes the comment it justified, but most of the time, it's just second nature for me to say it - even if there's absolutely no reason that they should hurry.

For example, I just laid my 4-year old down for a nap. He said, "I want my puppy (stuffed animal). I'm going to go downstairs and get it."

My response: "OK, but hurry."

Why in the world does he need to hurry? I am not going anywhere (obviously, since he'll be napping). And, I have nothing pressing to do (except blog) - I am off on Fridays.


Any time I ask my kids to do something, I add the word "hurry" to the request in some form or fashion. And, after thinking about it, I am a little miffed at myself.


Yeah - sometimes they lag behind or drag their feet. But, most of the time I want them to rush to keep up with the ridiculous pace I am trying to keep. Instead of relishing the precious moments I have with them, I am preoccupied speeding up the treadmill of life - both mine and theirs.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Right now, we're in the middle of a series entitled August Rush at NorthStar. One of the main points of the series is this: we cannot slow down the rush - but we can control how we deal with it.


Can anyone else relate to this inexplicable need to hurry all the time?

1 comment:

Robert said...

I think it is important to be respectful of other people's time. If there is an appointment, a meeting, or getting to school on time, there are other people involved who will be inconvenienced if we are late. If we have agreed with someone that something will happen beginning at a certain time, then I think we should keep our word. Other than that, I don't think there is any point in hurrying.

It's just another application of loving others as ourselves.