Pastor John D Jakes

For the past several weeks we have been looking at Tim Kimmel’s marks of a hurried family. Have you seen yourself in any of them? We’ve seen people who can’t relax, can’t stand quiet, can’t be satisfied, can’t embrace certainty, and can’t feel valuable without approval. Whew! What a roller coaster!

We have two final types of hectic families.  One is the excellent worrier.  Do you know them?  They look like they have their life all together, but their ‘all together’ life is held that way because of fear.  They are afraid to look weak.  They are afraid that everything is about to collapse.  They are afraid to fail and so they push, push, push to force everything to be perfect.

The final type of hectic family that Tim Kimmel addresses is the overachieving family.  This family isn’t just smart or wealthy.  This family is driven.  They are driven to achieve.  They are afraid to fail.  Their self-esteem is directly connected to their achievement and nothing else.

Have you noticed a connection between these two types of rushed families?  It is fear.  Fear of failure.  Fear of looking weak.  Fear of everything collapsing. Fear is not a way to live whether we are busy or not.

I am reminded of the words of Paul to Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) The only question we face is – which spirit do we live in?

How can we give over our fears? The answer is simple but not easy: pray and trust.  We are told to be, “anxious for nothing, but through prayer and supplication present our requests to God.”  (Philippians 4:6) This is a command with a promise: “and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (4:7) Yet it isn’t easy.  It requires us to slow down enough to acknowledge our need.  It requires us to give up control (which may be why we are moving so fast in the first place). It calls us to trust outside of ourselves the One who loves us and can truly work in our lives.

Trusting God, however, is exactly what the hurried family needs.  When we slow down, He speaks to us.  When we have stress, His Word gives us answers. When we feel small, weak, or insignificant His love is consistent and real.  Let’s trust Him and give our worries to Him.  He will be enough!

Here’s to families,

Pastor John