Busy VS Hurry: Why we blur the two together

Busy vs. Hurry: Why We Blur the Two Together
In today’s world, it’s easy to blur the lines between being busy and being hurried. Both can fill our schedules and exhaust us, but they’re not the same. Let’s break down the difference between busyness and hurry by looking at an example from the life of Jesus.
As we’ve discussed before, Jesus was a busy man. He was constantly surrounded by people, healing, teaching, and traveling. But in all His busyness, He never seemed anxious, irritable, envious, or distracted by lesser things. He lived with purpose, not with a sense of rush or panic. What sets His example apart from the way we often handle our busyness?
Busyness vs. Hurry: Understanding the Difference
Busyness is having a lot of things to do—meetings, tasks, or errands—but maintaining a sense of purpose and focus. You may have a full day, but you are in control of your time and emotions.
Hurry is when those tasks and meetings are stacked so tightly together that you’re sprinting from one to the next, feeling stressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed. It’s losing your peace because you have no margin. For example, being in a long grocery line might make you anxious and irritable because you don’t feel you have even thirty seconds to lose.
The key distinction lies in how we handle time. Busy people may have full schedules, but they make space for what truly matters. Hurried people, on the other hand, have no margin—every second is accounted for, and any delay feels catastrophic.

​How to Be Busy Without Being Hurried
To avoid the trap of hurry, we must get good at counting the cost of our time. When someone asks you for a favor or an extra task, consider these questions before saying "yes":
Am I the right person for this request? Just because someone asks you to do something doesn’t mean you are the best fit for it. Consider your strengths, availability, and energy level.
Is this the best use of my time? We all have a limited amount of time and energy in a day. Before taking on more, evaluate whether this task aligns with your priorities or if it will stretch you too thin.
Would I say yes 100% of the time for similar requests? If you find yourself saying "yes" to tasks out of obligation, consider if it’s something you’d choose to do under normal circumstances. If not, it might be better to decline or delegate.
The goal is to be intentional with your time and to maintain focus, like Jesus, on the things that matter most. By creating margin and learning to say "no" when necessary, you can remain busy but peaceful, without slipping into the hurried chaos that so often drains our energy and steals our joy.

Let’s embrace the balance—being productive without losing our sense of purpose.