Just ten days after the covid-19 lockdown began, on 1st April 2020, we launched our latest book, ‘Exploring the Psalms – A Creative Colouring Journal’, by Jacqui Grace. The journal explores ten Psalms in depth, with beautiful illustrations to colour, as well as searching questions to ponder and space to write thoughts and reflections. Nothing could really be more appropriate to help us in the process of slowing down and connecting with God.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
However, the process of slowing down had caught my attention 3 months before lockdown, so when lockdown hit, my mind was already half prepared, even if my heart wasn’t!
On 26th January of this year, my church, Emmaus Road, Guildford, started a six part sermon series based on John Mark Comer’s new book, ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry’. As we progressed through the weeks, our hearts started to stir with the whole idea of slowing down, living more simply, taking time to rest, communing with God and drawing aside from the chaos of our modern lives.
At the end of each service, we grabbed a word with some of our friends, before rushing onto our next event. ‘What great teaching’, we exclaimed, ‘we should do this – it could be life-changing!’ Our hearts were convinced, but what about our schedules? Secretly, we knew it would probably be just another inspiring sermon series, left to gather dust in the recesses of our minds. Besides, what about our long days at work, our social lives, our chores, kids, holidays, family and our spouses? We just couldn’t see how our diaries could be cleared or how to get away from hurrying at break-neck speed through life? Skimping on rest and reflection, we indulged instead on screens, TV and work, numbing our senses with their lures.
Lockdown
Strangely, just three weeks after the sermon series ended, Boris Johnson announced the UK lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Never did we expect hurry to be eliminated quite so swiftly! Unprecedented in my life-time, the greatest threat to our health and welfare since World War 2, life as we know it came to a sudden and quite unexpected halt!
Shops and gyms were closed, travelling banned, planes grounded, social life cancelled and, for many, work stopped. Suddenly, all those blocks to slowing down were removed and we ran out of excuses as to why we were simply ‘too busy’. Time to get real with God, to face the reality of our own hearts, to seek Him and to stop being in such a hurry. Besides, Jesus was never in a hurry.
An Airborne Contagion?
John Mark Comer asks this timely question, ‘What if busyness isn’t healthy? What if it’s an airborne contagion, wreaking havoc on our collective soul?’ Now, we know a thing or two about airborne contagions wreaking havoc, but would any of us have recognised busyness as being such a contagion? Comer continues, ‘An overbusy, digitally distracted life of speed is the greatest threat to spiritual life that we face in the modern world. The need of the hour is for a slowdown spirituality.’
The launch of ‘Exploring the Psalms’ was very timely in 2020. Already we have received some lovely stories about the book. Dawn wrote, ‘I was absolutely delighted with the journal. The illustrations are beautiful. It is life giving to focus on God’s word whilst encouraging creativity and meditation.’
Getting Creative
So how does art and creativity help us in that process of connecting with God?
Jacqui Grace, the artist behind our colouring books, as well as ‘Exploring the Psalms’, writes, ‘The tactile nature of creating something helps us to slow down and to take a step back from the busyness of life. It engages our senses and stills our busy minds. God is the ultimate and original creator and because He created us in His image, we have inherited some of that creativity. Art helps me to still my thoughts and focus on God and to listen to what He has to say.’
Vickie Price, another one of our artist’s, says, ‘When I’m working indoors I tend to have worship music on and I find this an amazing way to connect with God. My art work becomes an act of adoring God, alongside my singing.’
As difficult, strange and stressful as these days are, perhaps God is giving us a fresh chance to slow down, reconnect with Him, turn off the distractions, rediscover our creativity and get real with Him. I, for one, know that I need it. The ‘contagion’ is certainly out there as COVID-19, but perhaps another kind of contagion has been raging for too long in our hearts and minds – the contagion of busyness and hurry. It’s time it was eliminated!
Anne Stiles