To Hell with the Hustle

To Hell with the Hustle: Reclaiming Your Life in an Overworked, Overspent, and Overconnected World
By: Jefferson Bethke

"We are chasing freedom yet becoming slaves."

"What if the goal isn't to hustle but to be faithful?"

The point of this book is to reflect on our busyness and the way we spend our time and resources- Is it actually delivering the freedom it promises? How is it affecting us and our families? What do we lose when we don't truly rest or experience silence?

My husband started it and pointed out some science analogies he made that were inaccurate (there IS gravity on the moon, you won't float away, it's just less than earth; and the whole frog jumping out of gradually boiling water is a myth-- *not sure how these got past editing*) so I suppose my expectations were skewed when I started to read.

But honestly, I thought it was a worthwhile book and found it better than I was expecting. Yeah some analogies weren't perfect, but the points he makes are still valid.

I don't feel like I'm currently in the 'hustle' mindset and may need to revisit this book when our kids are older and our schedule is busier, BUT I still found some good and convicting insights in this book.

I'm not really a regular goal-setter but I liked how he has eliminated the word 'goal' and replaced it with 'formation.' The semantics aren't what attracts me but rather his explanation. A goal is linear, and is focused on the endpoint, the accomplishment itself, whereas a formation is circular and is about the process.

I've read several books lately that contrast 'doing' and 'being.' Sanctification and identity isn't what we do or accomplish but about who we are becoming in Christ, our 'being.' And I like to think of that as a circular process rather than a placement on a line. So much of following Christ is forgetting and remembering, a returning to "the same place for refreshment and renewal" or what he also classifies as a 'rhythm.'

I like that his book is targeting the lies we are sold that we just need to hustle more, try and work harder and we can reach our dreams and have the lives we want. That's not the message of the Bible but is the suffocating message of our culture.

His book is a compelling case for the ordinary. Not that following Jesus is boring and mundane in the sense that it's depressing and meaningless, but that faithfulness is ordinary. It's the everyday. The moments we have daily in the obscure lives we have now.

It's a little uncomfortable to think about it in those terms because culture pushes the big, extraordinary, famous, and shiny as 'meaningful' lives. I thought it was interesting how he pointed out that the main thing we remember about Moses didn't happen until very late in his life. He had already spent decades being faithful tending sheep until God called on him to carry out His plan.

We just need to be faithful in the place we have now until God calls on us.

Another sticking point for me was considering the Sabbath. It's one of the ten commandments that's easy to forget about. But it has caused me to think about what it means to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. How can we do this as a family?

He talks about fear being frantic. Much of our 'hustle' is done in fear not in faith. That resonated with me in how I've been feeling convicted lately to live and parent out of faith, not fear. So much of the media and culture is rooted in and plays to fear. It's always a good reminder to step back and evaluate what is driving us, what is our source, and what we are chasing.

One thing I felt the book was missing was the grace and the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. (I would recommend reading this in tandem with The Imperfect Disciple by Jared Wilson.)

Life is about being, not doing, but…

1) anything we become is not from our careful structuring of the 'perfect' work/life/rest balance but the Holy Spirit changing us and enabling us to do anything good;

2) the relationship between obedience and grace is a bit tricky- we are responsible for our choices and are held accountable for our use of our time and resources and how we treat others, etc, but we also are free to fail because his grace covers our imperfections.

I think this book put a little too much emphasis on our own ability to create the 'correct life.'

That being said, there is a lot of assumption or interpretation that happens in reading books and Bethke is actually pretty good about clarifying where people may say, 'Yes, but...' And I don't think he would disagree with anything I just said but just chose to talk about other things.

There are some political comments in this book, but it's not in an effort to push a particular agenda other than rightly asking us to stop making politics part of our core identity. And I appreciate that.

The polarization of politics is out of control and is causing people to evaluate other people's faith and moral character based on their voting record as if that is where our identity lies. In a book that has set out to challenge the things that our influencing us, you have to mention political things.

As a result of this book, am I going to radically change my life, throw out my phone, say 'no' to everything for the next year, boycott the internet, and spend all of Sunday praying- no, and he's not suggesting this.

But you can bet this book has challenged me to be wiser in the things I say 'yes' to, wiser in my use of technology, sensitive to what I am allowing to influence my family and me and our identities, willing to experience silence, and above all- focusing on being more like Jesus- being faithful.

The circular process of sanctification in the ordinary.

There is freedom, and it's not found in hustling.