The Sin of Hurry: How Rushed Men Miss Their Calling
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
There’s a quiet deception that has taken hold of modern men. It doesn’t shout like lust or rage like pride. It moves more subtly—cloaked in good intentions, masked as ambition, or baptized as productivity.
It’s the sin of hurry.
I had to learn this the hard way.
Recently, my life felt like a whirlwind. The constant pull of responsibilities, noise, entertainment, striving, and even good work in ministry left me overstimulated and overwhelmed. My heart was divided. My mind raced. I was always doing, always thinking, always going—but rarely being.
That’s when I felt the hand of God press gently—but firmly—on my shoulder.
Slow down.
Simplify.
Be with Me.
The Danger of a Rushed Life
We live in a world addicted to speed. Fast food, fast lanes, fast results. And sadly, many of us have brought that same rush into our spiritual lives. We run ahead of God. We try to build things without Him. We fill our days to the brim and assume He’ll just catch up.
But Scripture tells a different story.
Jesus, the perfect Son of God, was never in a hurry. He moved slowly. Intentionally. He stopped to speak with children. He paused to heal the sick. He withdrew to lonely places to pray. Even when people demanded more of Him, He chose intimacy with the Father over instant results.
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” — Mark 1:35
As men, we think momentum equals maturity. But movement without direction isn’t growth—it’s chaos.
And that’s what hurry brings: chaos to the soul.
When You’re Too Busy for God, You’re Too Busy
The sin of hurry doesn’t always show up as sin. That’s what makes it so deceptive.
We fill our schedules with things that feel important—work, meetings, goals, even ministry. But we miss the still, small whisper of God in the silence we no longer allow. We become too busy to listen, too distracted to hear, too exhausted to obey.
And we miss our calling.
Not because God isn’t speaking.
But because we’re too rushed to notice.
“Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part...” — Luke 10:41–42
Martha was doing for Jesus. Mary was being with Jesus.
There’s a time for action—but the foundation of calling is intimacy. Without time with God, our strength is empty. Without abiding, our work is fruitless.
My Own Wake-Up Call
In my own life, I realized I was sacrificing myself—my health, my peace, my joy—in the name of progress. I thought that if I just kept pushing, I’d finally arrive where God wanted me.
But I was wrong.
What God was asking for was not a sprint—but surrender. Not performance—but presence.
He showed me that the most powerful thing a man can do is not accomplish more...
but abide more.
When I began to slow down—when I simplified my life and let the unnecessary fall away—I finally heard what He had been saying all along:
“I want you. Not your hustle. Not your highlight reel. Just you.”
The Cost of Hurry in a Man’s Life
Hurry kills clarity.
Hurry suffocates obedience.
Hurry numbs spiritual sensitivity.
Hurry steals intimacy with God.
The enemy doesn’t always try to tempt you into rebellion. Sometimes, he just keeps you too busy to notice you’re drifting. He distracts. He overloads. And eventually, you confuse movement with progress.
But you can’t carry the weight of your calling in a hurry. You’ll miss the gentle guidance. You’ll ignore the warning signs. You’ll forget your first love.
“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it...” — Psalm 127:1
Choosing the Slower Way
The slow way is not the lazy way—it’s the sacred way.
It’s the way of Jesus.
The way of a man who knows His Father.
The way of intentional steps, not impulsive striving.
The way that listens before leading, prays before pushing, and rests before running.
And that’s the kind of man I want to be.
Questions for the Steadfast Man:
Have you mistaken busyness for obedience?
Are you rushing past the very thing God is trying to reveal?
What can you remove from your life to slow down and be with Him?
Let’s Be Steadfast. Not Speed-Driven.
Brother, your calling can’t be microwaved. Your purpose isn’t found in panic. It’s found in the presence of God.
Slow down.
Be still.
Listen again.
Because sometimes the greatest move you can make…
is to stop.
