After this mornings worship service, Karen and I went for what has become our traditional Sunday noon meal at our favorite restaurant, Cracker Barrel. It is such a nice place, we can either wander through the store and see what has been added since our last visit, or simply sit outside rocking in the rocking chairs. Those who know me well, would have no difficulty figuring out which of those two activities I would most enjoy.
While sitting in my rocking chair outside of Cracker Barrel, I was reminded of one of my favorite episodes of Andy Griffith which I believe was called “What’s Your Hurry.” It is about a Sunday morning sermon preached by a guest preacher who talks about the lost art of relaxation and the importance of rest. According to the preacher, it seems that all we ever do is run and go as many places and do things as quickly as we can. I must say that this message shouldn’t be lost on our society today. After the service, the folks of Mayberry decide that the best way to “relax” would be to have a band concert in the park Sunday night. Well, after a great deal of work and commotion it is decided that, since the band didn’t have enough time to practice, the uniforms were in complete disrepair, and the band pavilion was too dangerous for the band to perform on, that the best bet was to just scrap the whole idea. The last scene found Andy, Barney, and Aunt Bea sitting on the front porch recovering from their hectic afternoon’s work when the preacher coming back through town is forced to turn down an invitation to dinner with the family due to a “pressing engagement.” Andy, realizing that the preacher isn’t following his own advice, simply responds to the preacher by asking “What’s your hurry?”
What’s your hurry? This is indeed a problem that we as a society continue to face. Unfortunately, I am afraid that this problem has gotten much worse since that episode of Andy was televised some 45 years ago. After Karen and I left Cracker Barrel, we witnessed one person backing up on a major highway in order to save about 1 minute at a stop light, 2 minutes and ¼ mile down the road later, a motorcyclist was laying in the middle of an intersection apparently stuck by a car, and another ¼ mile down the road Karen and I were almost run off the road by someone who was being impatient and didn’t think we were going fast enough, even though we were going about 3 mph over the speed limit.
It seems like almost a different lifetime, but about 23 years ago, Ben, Terri and I performed in a musical at church called “The Music Machine,” which really was a great experience. I bring this up because one of the songs called “Patients” has stayed with me all of these years, and I think that the words have just as much, if not more significance today. Let me share the words with you.
Have patients, have patients,
don’t be in such a hurry
When you get impatient,
You only start to worry.
Remember, remember, that God is patient too,
So, think of all the times when others have to wait on you.
As I think about the difference between relaxing in my rocking chair at Cracker Barrel, and the several near mishaps on the way home, my wish and prayer for everyone today is to slow down and have patients. What’s your hurry?
Blessings
While sitting in my rocking chair outside of Cracker Barrel, I was reminded of one of my favorite episodes of Andy Griffith which I believe was called “What’s Your Hurry.” It is about a Sunday morning sermon preached by a guest preacher who talks about the lost art of relaxation and the importance of rest. According to the preacher, it seems that all we ever do is run and go as many places and do things as quickly as we can. I must say that this message shouldn’t be lost on our society today. After the service, the folks of Mayberry decide that the best way to “relax” would be to have a band concert in the park Sunday night. Well, after a great deal of work and commotion it is decided that, since the band didn’t have enough time to practice, the uniforms were in complete disrepair, and the band pavilion was too dangerous for the band to perform on, that the best bet was to just scrap the whole idea. The last scene found Andy, Barney, and Aunt Bea sitting on the front porch recovering from their hectic afternoon’s work when the preacher coming back through town is forced to turn down an invitation to dinner with the family due to a “pressing engagement.” Andy, realizing that the preacher isn’t following his own advice, simply responds to the preacher by asking “What’s your hurry?”
What’s your hurry? This is indeed a problem that we as a society continue to face. Unfortunately, I am afraid that this problem has gotten much worse since that episode of Andy was televised some 45 years ago. After Karen and I left Cracker Barrel, we witnessed one person backing up on a major highway in order to save about 1 minute at a stop light, 2 minutes and ¼ mile down the road later, a motorcyclist was laying in the middle of an intersection apparently stuck by a car, and another ¼ mile down the road Karen and I were almost run off the road by someone who was being impatient and didn’t think we were going fast enough, even though we were going about 3 mph over the speed limit.
It seems like almost a different lifetime, but about 23 years ago, Ben, Terri and I performed in a musical at church called “The Music Machine,” which really was a great experience. I bring this up because one of the songs called “Patients” has stayed with me all of these years, and I think that the words have just as much, if not more significance today. Let me share the words with you.
Have patients, have patients,
don’t be in such a hurry
When you get impatient,
You only start to worry.
Remember, remember, that God is patient too,
So, think of all the times when others have to wait on you.
As I think about the difference between relaxing in my rocking chair at Cracker Barrel, and the several near mishaps on the way home, my wish and prayer for everyone today is to slow down and have patients. What’s your hurry?
Blessings
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