Rhythms > Balance LIVING AN UNHURRIED LIFE

Hello – how are you?”
“Good, but so busy, how are you?”

This phrase has become almost part of our greeting, and often, our reality. We wear busyness like a medal. Tiredness and burnout have become badges of honour, while rest feels like laziness. For years, we have chased “life-work balance, ” as if life is static and standing still, but it is never stationary. It moves, seasons, and grows. This is why we should rather speak of rhythms rather than balance – grace-filled patterns and rhythms that guide
us between work and rest, doing and being

THE WAY OF JESUS: RHYTHM, NOT HURRY
If our goal is to become like Jesus, we must learn not just His words, but His way of life. He taught, healed, and served – and He also practised silence, solitude, prayer, and rest. He odelled an unhurried life, rarely rushed but deeply effective

“He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach.” –
Mark 3:14 [NIV]

Before sending, He called them to be with Him. Presence precedes mission.

“Martha, Martha… you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. ” – Luke 10:41–42 [NIV]

Jesus shows that effectiveness does not require frenzy. He was never hurried, yet His life
changed the world.

WHAT DOES AN UNHURRIED LIFE LOOK LIKE?
An unhurried life is intentional; it is a deliberate choice and something we grow into. It means choosing on purpose to slow down. It’s about choosing what matters over what demands attention, showing up fully instead of rushing through and just checking boxes. Our lives find strength in rhythms – gentle, intentional rhythms that create margins in our lives, for our souls to breathe and our hearts have space to listen.

1. Live and Lead from God’s presence

Being with God comes before working for God. Don’t confuse productivity with fruitfulness.

“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. ”– Psalm 27:4 [NIV]

2. Jesus was never in a hurry, yet always effective

He withdrew to pray, rested with friends, and responded rather than reacted.

“News about Jesus kept spreading. Large crowds came to listen to him teach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray. ” – Luke 5:15-16 (CEV)

Even in the busiest seasons, withdrawal and rest were part of the rhythm. Two thousand years later Jesus’ ministry still continues, it did not collapse because of rest – it endured.

3. Rhythms > Balance

Life isn’t about perfect balance, but finding a grace-filled rhythms of work, rest, engagement,
and withdrawal. Ecclesiastes reminds us:
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…
” – Ecclesiastes 3:1 [NIV]

Jesus modelled this rhythm:
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere elseto the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come. ” – Mark 1:35 – 38 [NIV] 

Even during the ploughing and harvest seasons, there should be space for rest:
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest. ” – Exodus 34:21 [NIV]

4. Rest is a form of resistance

Choosing the Sabbath and stillness is resistance against the idols of busyness, achievement, and control. Rest is trust – a declaration that God holds the outcome.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. ” – Exodus 20:8–10
“Be still, and know that I am God… ” – Psalm 46:10

5. Fruitfulness flows from intimacy
You are a branch, not the vine. Abiding produces fruit: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
” –John 15:4–5 NIV]

“But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night, that person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. ” – Psalm 1:2–3 [NIV]

6. Awareness precedes transformation

Notice what’s going on with your soul. Reflect often. Ask: “Am I living/leading from a place of fullness or emptiness?” Burnout rarely happens at a convenient time. That’s why regular selah moments – pauses for honest reflection and introspection – and a trusted circle of friends can help us notice red flags early.
“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. ” – Lamentations 3:40 [NIV]

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. ” – Psalm 139:23–24 [NIV]

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. ” – Proverbs 4:23 [NIV]

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON:
Am I living and leading from a place of fullness – or from hurry, empty, and exhaustion?
What would it look like for me to slow down enough to truly be with God in this season?

AN INVITATION
You don’t need a radical overhaul overnight. Rhythm is formed in small, consistent practices:
=Rise early for prayer or reflection.
=Schedule regular withdrawal – daily, weekly, seasonally.
=Plan rest even in your busiest seasons.
=Disconnect regularly from distractions – screens, social media, etc.
-Develop habits and hobbies that energise you and fill your emotional tank.
=Surround yourself with accountability and support.
=Develop habits that help you abide in Vine – Scripture, silence, journaling, etc.

Rhythms do not promise ease, but they bring steadiness. They are not a rejection of work—they are a reformation of how we live and serve.

Come and be with Him. Rest, abide, then go. Let your life be marked by intentional rhythms of work and rest, with space to slow down and breathe –not the worn-out pursuit of balance that never arrives.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
” – Matthew 11:28-30 [NIV]