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Outlining Seven Hurried Families
Outlining Seven Hurried Families
Drag racers race cars down a ¼ mile track at speeds over 200 mph in less than 5 seconds. Drivers shift gears so fast, you cannot tell when they do. All you witness is the increased speed of the car.
Over the past twenty years, you can watch the speed at which you live your life. Families shift from second gear into overdrive without noticing it, but others witness the speed of their lives. You notice the “speed” of their lives when they start “running” in and out of worship services or they park in the fire zone at Walmart to return a video to the Redbox machine.
There are at least seven marks which outline a hurried family. All of which, whether separately or combined, kill the faith, joy, and love needed for a family to stay calm and connected. Look through the windows of these homes. Do not be surprised if you catch a glimpse of your own family…
- The Baileys: Can't relax. Their claim is “We’re so busy”.
- The Grahams: Can’t enjoy quiet. An earbuds in the ears listening to music, talking on the phone, or TV is on for background effects.
- The Joneses: Never satisfied. They are never satisfied with what they have, where they are, or who they are.
- The Hoovers: An absence of absolutes. The only thing certain is they are uncertain.
- The Smiths: Suffering servants. They hurt all the time. They need to hear compliments to know they are accepted.
- The Newberrys: A storm beneath the calm. They are negative, worried, afraid, and chew on the past.
- The Evanses: World-class overachievers. They do not know how to lose. They are only happy when they win.
In the above houses, would any of those be like visiting your house? No one needs the world to create a hurried family for you. You can do it on your own. You make your own “overload”.
We must understand being hurried is the result of making shortcuts in life. Satan refuses to let you rest. He will create a restlessness which will remove you from all the necessary things.
God is the only one who provides rest to a family running in the rat race. “Except Jehovah build the house, they labor in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). How will your family finish?