The UNHURRIED LIFE

The UNHURRIED LIFE

How Hurry Hurts the Soul and Hinders Connection

Hurry has become one of the quietest spiritual threats in our time. It does not feel like rebellion or unbelief, yet it slowly erodes our attention, our presence, and our ability to commune well. Hurry does not simply exhaust the body. It distorts the soul. And when it begins to shape the inner life of a leader, it inevitably shapes the lives of the people who look to that leader for direction, care, and clarity.

Hurry is the enemy of love.

It is not merely a scheduling issue.

It is a formation issue. The pace we choose becomes the person we become.

The Slow Pace of a Transformed Leader

The story of Jacob in Genesis 33 provides one of Scripture’s clearest insights into the relationship between leadership and pace. After reconciling with Esau, Jacob is invited to travel with him. Jacob declines and explains not only what he must do but why:

Genesis 33.13–14 (ESV, expanded)

“But Jacob said to him, ‘My lord knows that the children are frail, and that the nursing flocks and herds are a care to me.
If they are driven hard for one day, all the flocks will die.
Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly,
at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me
and at the pace of the children,
until I come to my lord in Seir.’”

Jacob recognizes a principle many leaders overlook. A driven pace may feel efficient, but it can cause what we lead to fracture. Wisdom chooses a pace that honors human limits. Healthy leadership is not defined by speed but by steadiness, discernment, and the ability to walk in a way that does not damage the people entrusted to us.

Three simple truths rise from Jacob’s decision:
• Hurried leadership harms what it touches.
• Wise leadership pays attention to limits.
• Healthy leadership moves deliberately rather than reactively.

The Spiritual Cost of Hurry

Hurry carries a spiritual price. It narrows the soul’s capacity to hear God. It disrupts the ability to be present with others. It pushes the mind toward reactivity instead of discernment. Scripture speaks clearly about the inner world that grows from a hurried heart.

Here are the full verses referenced earlier:

1 Kings 19.11–12 (ESV)

“And behold, the Lord passed by,
and a great and strong wind tore the mountains
and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord,
but the Lord was not in the wind.

And after the wind an earthquake,
but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

And after the earthquake a fire,
but the Lord was not in the fire.

And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.”

God’s voice is found in the quiet, not the hurried.

Proverbs 19.2 (ESV)

“Desire without knowledge is not good,
and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.”

Haste clouds judgment.

Psalm 46.10 (ESV)

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

Stillness opens the soul to the presence of God.

Stillness is not inactivity. It is clarity. Silence is not emptiness. It is where the inner life recovers its strength. When our pace becomes frantic, we lose access to the stillness that makes wisdom possible.

The Wisdom of Waiting

Psalms and Proverbs repeatedly teach that waiting is a spiritual discipline. Waiting is not passivity. It is the posture of trust. It is the refusal to let anxiety set the pace.

Here are the full texts of the earlier references:

Psalm 27.14 (ESV)

“Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!”

Waiting cultivates courage, not weakness.

Psalm 62.5 (ESV)

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from Him.”

Silence produces spiritual orientation.

Proverbs 21.5 (ESV)

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

Hurry leads to emptiness.

Waiting reorients the heart. It slows the mind enough for God to work beneath the surface. It opens us to God’s timing instead of our own urgency.

The Unhurried Leadership of Jesus

Jesus moved with deep purpose yet never with frantic motion. He was fully present to each person in front of Him. He welcomed interruptions. He walked at a pace shaped by compassion rather than pressure. His invitation in The Message paraphrase captures the heart of His leadership with expanded richness and depth:

Matthew 11.28–30 (The Message, fully expanded)

“Are you tired?
Worn out?
Burned out on religion?

Come to me.
Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.
I’ll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me and work with me.
Watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company with me
and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

This passage draws us into the true heart of Jesus — One who does not pressure or push, but leads with clarity, compassion, and rest. His way is spacious and sustainable. His presence restores the soul. His rhythm creates room for connection.

From this invitation, Jesus offers leaders three steadying gifts:
• Rest that restores the inner world.
• A yoke that fits instead of crushes.
• Rhythms of grace that shape how we walk, listen, and love.

Practices That Counter Hurry

If hurry forms the inner world in destructive ways, then unhurried practices reform it in healthy and sustainable ways. These are not techniques for adding serenity to a busy life. They are ways of allowing God to reshape the inner landscape so that love has room to flourish.

Build margin.
Space around your responsibilities creates clarity and steadiness. Margin gives the soul room to breathe again.

Practice silence and stillness.
A few minutes of quiet each day allows the mind to settle and the heart to attune itself to God’s voice.

Respond slowly.
Thoughtfulness is a mark of maturity. Pausing before speaking or deciding allows wisdom to surface and creates a culture of gentleness and trust.

The Soul of a Leader Follows the Pace of a Leader

You cannot lead others into rest while you dwell in turmoil. You cannot cultivate deep relationships when your own presence is fractured by haste. The people you shepherd are watching not only your words but also your pace. The slower, steadier, and more deliberate your soul becomes, the easier it is for others to find rest, clarity, and courage under your leadership.

Jacob understood the danger of pushing too hard. Jesus embodied the peace of walking slowly enough to love well. And the Spirit invites us into the same posture today: to move at a pace where the soul becomes whole again and where genuine connection becomes possible.

This is the path of the unforced rhythms of grace.

An unhurried life is the place where love can flourish.