Written by John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (2019) focuses on self-help principles and Christian spirituality. While functionally serving as a self-help book in its practical dimensions, it is written primarily for Christian readers and is concerned with encouraging them to live more faithfully as followers of Jesus in both their beliefs and in the pace of their daily lives. 

The book provides the following Key Takeaways:

• Avoid the Trap of a Hurried Lifestyle
• Follow a Daily Apprenticeship to Jesus
• Focus on the Presence of God
• Live in the Present Moment
• Eliminate the Distractions of the Modern World

This study guide refers to the 2019 edition from WaterBrook Press.

Summary

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry consists of three main parts that are three to four chapters each, along with a Prologue, Intermission, and Epilogue. In the Prologue, Comer introduces his own journey of dealing with the problem of hurry in his life, which left him exhausted and empty while trying to serve the needs of a multi-site megachurch in suburban Portland. Led by the counsel of other Christians, he decided to downsize and simplify his life, resigning his position to take a smaller role at a single-site church. Based on this experience, he encourages his readers to take seriously Jesus’s call in Matthew 11:28-30, in which Jesus invites his hearers to follow him, find rest, and take up the “easy yoke” of learning his way of living.

In Part 1, Comer focuses on the problem of hurry, which he sees as a systemic social disease affecting contemporary society. He traces the roots of the problem to a series of cultural shifts in Western societies, beginning with the way time was measured and regulated during the medieval period, and leading all the way up to the fractionalization of people’s distracted interests in the age of smartphones and the Internet. The recent dramatic advances in technology have not resulted in greater leisure for most people; to the contrary, many find that their lives are now consumed by an endless array of tasks, and whatever time remains is entirely swallowed up by the nearly infinite distractions of entertainment media. This has led to a broad array of negative outcomes, affecting people’s physical health, mental and emotional well-being, relationships with others, and spirituality. In short, Comer believes that the current crisis of hurry and attention in our society has led to a significant deficit in the ability to experience and enjoy the most important things in life.

In Part 2, Comer moves from diagnosing the problem to proposing a solution. He argues that the solution does not include finding more time for one’s schedule, as more time would simply be swallowed up in the same way. The answer, Comer suggests, is to learn the way of Jesus—to apprentice oneself to his lifestyle, not only listening to his teachings but observing and applying his manner of life to one’s own. Taking again Jesus’s words from Matthew 11:28-30, Comer encourages his readers to consider Jesus’s invitation of the “easy yoke” of following him. Comer emphasizes learning and following the practices of Jesus (traditionally called “spiritual disciplines”) by adopting the lifestyle that Jesus himself lived during his ministry. These practices are a response to God’s gracious invitation of healing and restoration.

Part 3 provides an overview of four of these practices: silence and solitude, Sabbath observance, simplicity, and habits of slowing down. Comer advises using times of silence, solitude, and Sabbath observance to give structure and meaning to the rest of life. Rather than adding more tasks to an already too-full schedule, these practices are meant to open up windows of freedom, slowly teaching how to rest, to enjoy God and others, and to be fully present in each moment. The practice of simplicity (which Comer uses synonymously with minimalism) is an antidote to the way consumer society urges one to always be looking forward to the next new thing. In the Epilogue, Comer brings all these ideas back together into a focus on Jesus’s invitation to bear his “easy yoke,” reminding his readers that although following the way of Jesus might look hard at first glance, it is ultimately easier than plodding through the wasteland of one’s own busyness, stress, and perpetually frustrated desires. The way of Jesus is a restful one, offering a path into the experience of those values that lie at the heart of Christian spirituality: love, joy, and peace.