Why Am I Rushing?!?

Whenever I start to get too frantic and preoccupied with “arriving” at the next thing in life, that song by Alabama starts playing in my head, “All I really gotta do is live and die. But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why…”

It may not seem like a very spiritual reminder, but it does the trick every time.

Today, as I felt the impatience of an uncomfortable pregnant woman who just wants, “to get this baby out!” I started hearing the words – loudly. Why am I in such a hurry? Each day I have is a precious gift – even if many of those days are uncomfortable, stressful and busy. I may not have many more left. Who knows? So why would I want to wish any of them away?

Lately in the blogosphere, there are plenty of reminders of the brevity and fragility of life. In fact I can’t go many minutes in my day without thinking about them – these friends I have never met facing the cruelties of life.

This past week, Rachael and her family are trying to cope with the shocking drowning of their beloved daughter Hannah. One moment Hannah was happily bobbing in the water, and the next moment she was gone. Little Lily no longer has a big sister and a family is devastated forever.

Hannah’s last morning had been a special one – with a lingering snuggle in bed with mommy, a yummy breakfast and even time to discover a new water lily in her pond. With her usual thrill for life, Hannah had raced inside, “Mommy do you want to see something VERY beautiful?” And Rachael had run with her daughter down the path to see the beautiful water lily.

But what if Rachael had rushed that morning? What if she had been preoccupied with the clock and had jumped out of bed, grumpily told her daughter to hurry up as she made her breakfast and ignored her daughters plea to come see the water lily, claiming she didn’t have time?

I am afraid I am too often rushing through life with my son, missing those precious moments as I tear through our days, trying to get “enough” done. Hannah has shown me that I need to slow down and savor these moments – these “VERY beautiful” moments.

We just received an email from a young mom who found out a few weeks ago that she has inflammatory breast cancer. (I posted about her on 5 Minutes for Mom, but you can head over to her site to read more about this deadly cancer and give her your hugs and prayers.) The email came in as I was preparing this post. Another reminder. Another stop sign. “I’m in a hurry and don’t know why…” playing again in my head.

I am shamed and I am in agony for her. She is a mom with tiny little children. She needs to be here with them, healthy and not fighting this terrible disease.

And I have been letting my days slip by…

So what do I do? I need to humbly face my Lord and repent. I need to keep myself focused on fulfilling my purpose, not checking things off on my to-do list.

And I need to try to remember – every day when the pressure is on, when the tendency to rush through life, ungrateful and exhausted, is taking over again – I need to stop and remember Hannah and her water lily and make sure that I don’t miss any of my children’s sacred moments.

Are you racing through life or have you learned to slow down and savor life’s moments? Are you fulfilling your purpose or just tackling your daily to do list?
What has helped you to keep your focus on what is really important in life?