Slow Down this Mother’s Day
This Mother’s Day, we revisit Dr. Erika Santiago’s 2022 message—“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”—to consider how our need for speed can actually slow our spiritual growth. Whether you’ve never set foot in a church or you’ve been here all your life, these reflections offer a fresh invitation: to discover what it looks like to live with purpose, community, and compassion—and to join us this Mother’s Day at Mosaic Church at 10 AM.
1. Why Hurry Matters
Dr. Santiago begins by naming hurry as “the great enemy of our spiritual life,” borrowing the phrase from Dallas Willard and the book by John Mark Comer. In our drive to check tasks off the list—multitasking at the grocery store, racing cars through intersections, reshuffling meal plans on the fly—we sacrifice presence, patience, even compassion. As a culture, we’re busy; as followers of Jesus, we must learn to be “good busy,” the kind of activity that “leaves room for compassion, wisdom, patience and prophetic love,” rather than “annoyance, irritability, sarcasm, snippy comments, deep sighs, dirty looks, exasperation.”
2. Discipleship over Checklist
In a recent tweet, Pastor Lamar Hardwick observed, “I’m always intrigued that much of how we follow Jesus consists of becoming experts at explaining why we don’t really have to do the things he taught.” Bill Hull adds in his book on discipleship: “Believing without discipleship isn’t believing; it’s agreeing to a set of facts about a religious figure.” Christ-followers aren’t meant to accumulate facts or complete a set of spiritual tasks; we are called to follow Jesus. Hebrews 12:1–3 (NLT) urges us: “Strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us… Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.” True faith shapes our character and our habits—it transforms our schedules as well as our hearts.
3. Community as Core
Jesus never modeled isolation. He formed a community—teaching, eating, resting with friends. When work, errands, or phone notifications press in, we grow vulnerable to isolation, and isolation “gets us into trouble” (Genesis 3). Instead, Mosaic Church seeks to be a family where you can “abide” in Christ and in one another. As John 15:5, 7–8 (NLT) reminds us: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me… bears much fruit… If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” When we slow down, we make space for the Spirit to shape us, for friendships that keep us anchored, and for service that flows from gratitude, not obligation.
4. Love as Practice
At its core, discipleship is the practice of love—God’s love for us and our love for others. Jesus summarizes the commandments in Matthew 22:37–40 (NLT): “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” A life free from hurry makes love possible: patience in traffic, kindness in the checkout line, attention to a friend’s silence. And because Mosaic Church exists to lead people to an authentic relationship with Christ to help them change the world, every gathering, volunteer team, and small group becomes an opportunity to live out that love together.
Join Us This Mother’s Day
Whether you’re honoring an earthly mother, remembering one you miss, or seeking a place to belong, you’re invited to slow down with us. Come to Mosaic Church at 10 AM on Mother’s Day—May 11th—to worship, to learn, and to experience a community committed to the “ruthless elimination of hurry.” Let’s discover together how peace, purpose, and transformation emerge when we fix our eyes on Jesus and give ourselves fully to the life he offers.
Mosaic Church
5550 Oakdale Road, Mableton, GA
Sunday Gathering • 10 AM
We hope to see you there!