There once was a squirrel named Benny who lived in the Big Oak Tree. Benny was always in a rush. Every morning, he leapt out of his nest like a furry cannonball, chattering about how much he had to do – gather nuts, organize his acorns by color, beat the neighbor squirrel to the good pinecones, and of course, update his tree branch decor for the season.
Benny never paused to enjoy a sunrise. He never listened to the wind through the leaves. He barely chewed his food come suppertime.
One day, while zipping through the forest at squirrel-Mach-speed, Benny ran headfirst into a tree. But not just any old tree – a wise old tree named Myrtle who’d seen centuries of squirrel drama.
Myrtle said, “Child, where are you going in such a hurry?”
Benny rubbed his noggin. “I’ve got things to do! Places to be! Nuts to hoard!”
Myrtle rustled her leaves. “And what will you do with all those nuts when winter comes?”
“I’ll eat them,” Benny said.
“And then?” Myrtle asked.
“I’ll get more nuts!” Benny replied.
“And then?” Myrtle asked again.
Benny blinked. “I don’t know. What’s your point?”
Myrtle sighed. “My point is, you’re rushing through life like a squirrel with a caffeine addiction, and you’re missing the whole point. Life isn’t just about collecting nuts… it’s also about noticing the breeze, enjoying a good nap in the sun, and being still enough to hear the One who made the tree… and the squirrel.”
Benny blinked again, nodded slowly, and for the first time in a long time, he paused.
But old habits die hard.
One day, as Benny made a quick dash to cross the street – running late to organize his acorn pile – he didn’t see the oncoming car. It was fast. So was Benny. But not fast enough.
The forest was quieter after that. And Myrtle wept golden leaves for her hurried little friend who she’d never see again.
Hurry doesn’t just steal joy. Sometimes, it steals everything.
“Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” – Dallas Willard
“For many of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it.” – John Ortberg
“If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.” – Corrie Ten Boom
“Busyness is the enemy of spirituality. It is essentially laziness. It is doing the easy thing instead of doing the hard thing – it is filling our time with our own actions instead of paying attention to God.” – Eugene Peterson
Former Blackout Artist 