I’m in a hurry…

I don’t know about you, but I get inspiration from some of the most interesting places.  You might expect insight and inspiration from a literary classic, a Bible verse, a well written devotional, a trusted friend, or maybe a beautiful sunset or sunrise.

My wife and I were making our way home on the last leg of an extended trip. We had visited daughters and their families in Scotland, Deer Park IL, and Haysville KS. We had been absent from our own home for fifty days.

Driving from Wichita, we had only a couple hundred miles to go. I was listening to HANK FM. I like the old country classics. I find them entertaining and relaxing.

But then here was Alabama with, I’m in A Hurry (And I Don’t Know Why). I found myself in addition to being relaxed and entertained—inspired!

“I’m in a hurry to get things done
Oh, I rush and rush until life’s no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
I’m in a hurry and don’t know why”

Is that not us?

“I rush and rush until life’s no fun”

Have you done that?  I have.

Here’s the troublesome lyric, “and I don’t know why.”

Busy is one thing, but not knowing why, that can be a problem.

I think that’s what leads to some of our frustrations, depression, feelings of failure, all sorts of negative feelings and behaviors.

And then there’s the lyric that says. “Oh, I hear a voice.”

Therein I think may lie the problem.  We are listening to the wrong voice.

In our day, we are almost forced to listen to or watch a continually depressing 24-hour news cycle saying the same bad news over and over.  We listen to continuous ads on every form of media, the worst one being right there in your hand, telling you that you are driving the wrong car, that you weigh too much, you’re not wearing the right clothes, eating the wrong food, and you’re using the wrong toothpaste.  That’s enough to depress anyone.

One has to actually work at finding something positive to listen to or watch…and maybe even read.  But for the sake of your sanity, you need to do it. You need to find and hear a better voice!

And maybe we should be more satisfied with what we have.

My friend Matthew Henry (Matthew is a 17^th century English Bible commentator, weird I know) but he and I read from the Bible most every morning.  This morning he made this comment regarding Ezekiel Chapter 17.

“See also the folly of fretful discontented spirits, that ruin themselves by striving to better themselves, whereas they might be easy and happy enough if they would but make the best of that which is.”

Now that’s some old-time wisdom right there.  He’s almost saying the same thing as Alabama!

I fully realize there’s nothing wrong with wanting to better yourself and that should be encouraged. But at what cost. Alabama wants to know.

I have all these things I want to do but can’t seem to get them done.  Does Alabama have a song about that?

So, mine and Alabama’s inspiration for our day: listen to better voices.