The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to stay emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world

Comer begins with a philosophical and experiential analysis of the human condition, noting that in every culture throughout history, humanity has expressed the unending scope of its desires and the frustration that comes from being unable to fulfill them. Since our desire is infinite and our limitations mean that we are finite, we are left with the restlessness of the human condition. Comer suggests that this familiar dynamic comes down to the fact that we were made for relationship with an infinite God: “Human desire is infinite because we were made to live with God forever in his world and nothing less will ever satisfy us, so our only hope is to put desire back in its proper place on God” (146).

To do this, one then needs to put all other desires beneath that overarching, God-focused purpose, in which all human desire finds its proper context and delight. One of the main biblical ways this problem of human desire is addressed is through the Old Testament ritual of observing the Sabbath, and since Jesus observed the Sabbath, the same practice ought to guide those who live in apprenticeship under him. The theme of Apprenticeship to Jesus is thus highlighted once again, as Comer seeks to portray the manner of Jesus’s life as something that his followers should directly emulate.

“Sabbath” is derived from a Hebrew word which simply means “to stop.” In ancient Israelite culture, as in Jewish culture today, it was observed on the seventh day of the week as an obligatory time to stop one’s other tasks and labors, and to spend time resting and delighting in God and the good things God has given. Comer advises his readers to consider Sabbath not just as a day of the week, but as a whole way of being: conforming one’s own practice to the rhythm in which God made the world operate. Not only is it reflected in the life of Jesus, it is drawn from the Bible creation story, in which God rested on the seventh day after six days of creative work: “And in doing so, [God] built a rhythm into the DNA of creation. A tempo, a syncopated beat […] When we fight this work-six-days, Sabbath-one-day rhythm, we go against the grain of the universe” (153).

Sabbath is therefore best practiced as a one-day-in-seven habit, but its outlook ought to reframe the way we act on every day of the week. Rather than a rule to follow, the practice of a weekly Sabbath is an invitation to dive into those things which are truly life-giving, nourishing, and richly rewarding. Comer invites his readers to consider the following question to shape their practice of Sabbath: “What could I do for twenty-four hours that would fill my soul with a deep, throbbing joy?” (155).

Comer further analyzes the biblical tradition of Sabbath—especially its treatment in the two renditions of the Ten Commandments (in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5)—and suggests two major aspects of Sabbath-practice for his readers. First, he notes that Sabbath bears a command to rest and to worship, and that these two elements cover everything one should try to do on a Sabbath—restful activities and a worshipful orientation to God. Second, he sees in the biblical tradition an interpretation of Sabbath as a means of resistance against the predatory power structures of the world. The Israelites who were given the Ten Commandments had just come out from under a brutalized life of incessant work as enslaved persons under the greatest world power of the day, Egypt. The practice of taking one day to not work was itself a statement against the way that Egypt and other hegemonic cultures sought to push its workers for more and more labor. Practicing Sabbath, then, entails taking a stand against the unhealthy power structures and productivity-oriented cultures of the world. This ties in with Comer’s theme on The Dangers of a Hurried Lifestyle, which he sees as underlying many of the predatory political and economic features of contemporary life around the world.

Comer closes the chapter with personal reflections on his own practice of Sabbath (another frequent stylistic feature of sermons, reflecting yet again Comer’s background as a pastor). His practice of Sabbath has trained him to find restful and worshipful ways of experiencing all the other days in the week as well. In doing so, he finds not only that Sabbath is usually the best day of the week for him, but that its restful pace overflows into his whole week. This matches the theme of The Importance of Living in the Present Moment, as one is made ever more able to approach one’s use of time with a sense of the abiding presence of God.