The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Part two: The Solution
What We’re Really Talking About is a Rule of Life (1|2)
Pages 89-94
TOGETHER read the book (END READING AT: …communities chose to do life together around a rule of life.) then the following scriptures slowly and attentively.
INDIVIDUALLY take notes in your journal on what stands out.
Matthew 5:37 (NIV) “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
James 5:12 (NIV) Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
GROUP DISCUSSION:
Margin /ˈmärjən/ noun
The edge or border of something.
An amount by which a thing is won or falls short.
(definitions from Oxford Dictionary)
In the verses that precede Matthew 5:37 (NIV) All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Jesus said that you’re not to swear by heaven or earth, and James 5:12 (NIV) Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise, you will be condemned also echos that as well. The Pharisees were trying to play an end game and not use the name of God. Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and other passages say that if you swear by God’s name and fail to do what you are swearing, then there will be condemnation upon you. Okay fine, what does that have to do with me and the margins (or lack of) in my life today? I’m not swearing by God’s name to go to that coffee meeting, or be on that virtual meeting, or turn in an assignment, or volunteer, or whatever, whatever, whatever. Jesus said to let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no” so that there would be integrity in your word and the commitments you make. Sometimes yoking yourself to Jesus means you would not change your word for personal gain, that you would be willing even to suffer if the commitment you made is now going to cost you more than you realized.
Does this mean you shouldn’t commit to anything?
Does this mean that it’s terrible if you have to break a commitment?
What do commitments have to do with margins in your life?
Share just one or two things that stood out to you while reading the book and/or scripture. (try to keep it brief)
TOGETHER pray for one another.
INDIVIDUALLY answer the questions in your journal - process your notes and pray.
Jesus made sure to inject a healthy dose of margin into his life. For many of us, there is no space between our loads and limits. No amount by which a thing is won or falls short, just one or the other. How is it going today? I’m thriving, killing it, living the best life ever | everyone and everything sucks! (can you relate?) We’re not at 80 percent with room to breathe; we’re at 100 percent all the time. Jesus’ weekly schedule was a prophetic act against the hurried rhythms of our world.
What is your reaction to that statement?
What is your definition of margin?
Is there a difference between margins and boundaries?
Do you ever hold someone else to margins and boundaries but don’t respect (or have) them for yourself? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you having time to rest? Do you have enough margin that if something goes sideways it doesn’t derail the entire day?
More than once we read stories about Jesus sleeping in and the disciples having to wake him up. He would practice Sabbath on a weekly basis - an entire day set aside for nothing but rest and worship, every single week.
What is your reaction to that statement?
What would it be like to say to Jesus “I want to take your yoke” and his response is: “That is wonderful, let‘s take a nap.”? Wait what? He put on display an unhurried life, where space for God and love for people were the top priorities, and because he said yes to the Father and his kingdom, he constantly said no to countless other invitations.
What is your reaction to that statement?
For many (especially people-pleasers) saying “no” is like a little death inside. Why do you think people in the Western culture would rather say “yes” in the moment of proposition and then cancel (or no-show) later (or last minute) with an excuse when they could have said “no” initially?
Are you so overcommitted to things in life that Jesus’ invitation to stop, rest, and maybe even take a nap seems impossible? Incomprehensible? Provoking? Relieving?
Pause and pray - talk to Jesus about your current schedule and rhythms. Are there any margins? If not really, ask him for wisdom and direction on how to create some. Ask him for the practicals of how, when, and where to create margin. Jesus is against burnout - he is for restoration and rejuvenation of the soul. John 10:10 (NIV) “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Ask Jesus how to have “life to the full” in him when our life is already full with our stuff and journal about it.
EXTRA READING:
In his Rule for Communities, Benedict of Nursia (480 - 547) wrote, “Such a follower of Christ lives in reverence of Him and does not take the credit for a good life, but believing that all the good we do comes from the Lord, gives Him the credit and thanksgiving for what His gift brings about in our hearts. In that spirit, our prayer from the Psalm (115:1) should be: Not to us, O Lord, not to give the glory but to your own name. That is St Paul’s example, for he took no credit to himself for his preaching when he said: It is by God’s grace that I am what I am. And again he says: Let anyone who wants to boast, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31)