Quick Feet, Loose Eyes
Back again! I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to return to the motherland after 23 years. On one leg of this 15-hour journey (🤮), my mind kept drifting toward the idea of light—so that’s what I’m talking about today.
John 1: 4-5 (NKJV) 'In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.'
What exactly is that light? This verse speaks not just of Christ laying down His life, but of how He lived—and that way of living itself being light. The point here isn’t to dissect all the layers of “light,” but to highlight something simple and massive: The way Jesus lived is the key to life. So let’s talk about spiritual formation. As John Mark Comer points out, spiritual formation isn’t just a Christian thing—it’s a human thing. The real question isn’t are you being formed, but what—or who—are you being formed into?
We will look at this over a series of entries that might not necessarily be in order, so keep an eye out and buckle up. Rollercoaster time!
Hurry
Comer quotes Dallas Willard:
“You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
I’ve been stuck in a section of Practicing the Way titled Be with Jesus. It might sound cheesy, but when you think about where you set your emotional anchor, I can’t think of anything more practical.
Jesus lived with intentional pace:
My hour has not yet come (John 2:4).
My time is not yet here (John 7:6).
Father, the hour has come (John 17:1).
He didn’t rush. He moved with wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV) '“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven”
We often miss how unobvious hurry is. Take social media:
The average person spends 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media.
17 hours a week or 36 days a year.
Honestly, I’m shocked it’s only that low. I’ve definitely doubled that at points—and I doubt I’m alone. So what does all that time form in us?
John 8:34 (NKJV) Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, everyone who practices sin habitually is a slave of sin.”
Social media isn’t sin (relax), but Jesus’ point stands: whatever you practice regularly, you become enslaved to. And once you're enslaved, it shapes you—your habits, attention span, emotional state, even identity. One downside of social media is the need to be constantly stimulated. Sitting alone with our thoughts feels unbearable. That’s where Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of psychic entropy hits home: When we’re inwardly disordered, we feel pulled toward stimulation to escape the chaos. But that only reinforces the chaos.
And so: we hurry.
Distractions
Luke 10:38-42 (NASB1995) 'Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”'
As the kids say, “Mary understood the assignment”. 🙄. Annoying phrase but staying focused here. Martha wasn’t wrong to serve—but she let something secondary become central, and once it did, her emotions took over. As Jesus clearly points out, she exhibited worry which we’ve touched on briefly already. That’s the cost of distraction. It isn’t just about what you do—it’s about what gets to define your state of mind.
Another passage, Matthew 6:25-34, is often called “The Cure for Anxiety” in the New American Standard Bible. It’s striking because we live in an age where anxiety and mental health issues are increasingly burdensome on society. I won’t bog you down with stats, but sources like the CDC, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and World Health Organization (WHO) all confirm this trend. Sure, COVID-19 in 2020 intensified the issue, but the rise was already happening—making COVID more of a flashlight than a catalyst.
Jesus’ message was to place one’s CENTRAL focus on eternal life with God (which believe it or not is significantly longer than your present life). If this is truly the cure, then it suggests placing one’s central focus on the things of this life moves us toward anxiety and, more broadly, mental and emotional turmoil.
Putting a Bow on It
The purpose of talking about spiritual formation is to keep drawing our attention to the things that shape our entire being. Everything we watch, read, or commit ourselves to leaves a mark. It’s not a matter of whether they affect us, but to what extent, and for how long. Each influence carries its own infectious profile—some subtle, others aggressive, but none without effect.
A venomous snake doesn’t need long to deliver its poison. In contrast, years of poor eating habits quietly break down your pancreas, clog your arteries, and wear on your body until full-blown metabolic dysfunction sets in. Both are destructive—just on different timelines.
In the same way, we can often sense that certain areas of our lives aren’t functioning as they should. But sometimes it takes someone—or something else—to reveal that to us.
That’s what this post is about: taking inventory—asking yourself what’s forming you and what it’s forming you into.
And yes, this is a Christian blog. So obviously, my answer for everything is Christ—not just for revealing what’s forming you, but for showing who should be forming you.
But even that answer loses weight in the arena where “everything is fine.” (Yes, that’s sarcasm.) As Jesus said in Mark 2:17:
“…It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick…”
Till next time, folks.
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