"Hurry Up and Wait" by Brian Crosson

Brian Crosson continues his series for our AM Singles. Brian is a follower of Christ and single father of 3 from Oklahoma City. He has a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Oklahoma State University and is currently working on his Masters degree in Human Services specializing in Marriage and Family therapy through Liberty University Online. He has recently created and is slowly building his singles ministry Persistently Patient as he uses his experiences in marriage and the single season to encourage others. Feel free to visit his Facebook page (link https://www.facebook.com/PersistentlyPatient) or follow his twitter account (@PersPatient) in order to join the conversation.

Dr. Kim

It has been over 13 years since my discharge from the Army. To this day one of the things that I remember most about that period of time is a saying that described pretty much everything about military life.

“Hurry up and wait.”

It didn’t matter if you were referring to chow time or your company’s departure from the motor pool. It was a guarantee that you were going to rush to get somewhere, only to wait. As I look back on that time in my life and reflect on the last few years as a follower of Christ that saying seems oh too familiar. On more occasions than I wish to admit I have tried to hurry through a season in my life only to have to wait.

But isn’t that what we are supposed to do? Throughout scripture we are reminded of God’s faithfulness and how we should ‘wait’ for his replies. In Psalm 62:5 David sings of praise to the Lord, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.”  David was a man after God’s own heart. He wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but he knew our God and he knew what it meant to truly pursue Him. God wants us to pursue Him and the riches that He has promised us, but He does not want us to rush passed him, He wants us to be patient and wait on Him.

As a Christian single this idea of waiting can often times be very difficult. Whether you’re someone who has never been married or you’ve been married three times, most of us have a desire to marry. This deep, longing desire for marriage is not a bad thing. But our desire to rush things is. 

Whether it’s a well needed season of renewal or a dating relationship with an overnight engagement, too many times we want to put a rush on God and the good works that he is trying to perform. 

What do I mean? You ask.

In His wisdom the Lord tells us that, “the human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked…” (Jeremiah 17:9). 

This does not mean that we should never listen to our hearts. If we stay in constant communication with Him and continue to invite Him into our hearts, He can and will make His desires into our desires. But what this does mean is that our hearts can sometimes deceive us and that we should be careful about what we believe when it comes to our desires. We should ask God for wisdom when we wish to pursue a relationship, we should ask God for wisdom when we are in a relationship and wish to pursue engagement, and we should ask God for wisdom when we are engaged and decide to make that lifetime commitment. 

I mean let’s face it; for every person that you thought might be the “one”, there has been 10 other “ones” before them that didn’t work out. It is very easy to find yourself caught up in that euphoric state of being “in love”, and it’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s a human feeling that we all hope will accompany us into marriage. However, we need to remind ourselves that being “in love” is not the only thing that should bring us together nor is it the only thing that will keep us together. The wisdom that He bestows upon us will be instrumental in making choices that will lead to lifelong success. From our decisions on who to marry, to the ways in which we will deal with the trials that will undoubtedly present themselves; we must learn to look to Him for guidance. 

Because when you trust in the Lord with all your heart (not depending on your own understanding) and seek his will in all you do; he will show you which path to take. (para. Proverbs 3:5-6)

Brian Crosson