It’s Finally Friday…and I’m pastor James St. John
It was June 24, 1995. Marjorie had told me a few hours earlier that she was feeling contractions and thought it was time to get to the hospital. After that moment, everything was a bit of a blur…until the waiting began. Marjorie had been on bed rest for nearly a month. Multiple trips to the hospital for nonstress tests had become the norm for us, because of early indications of labor and distress. So, there was a combination of fear and excitement. Of course, I guess that’s the norm for a first baby.
To add to the stress of it all, Marjorie’s OB was out of town on vacation, so the on-call OB, whom we had never met swept into the room, introduced himself, and said, “see you later.” It was a bit surreal, and I was tired, so we settled in. I kicked back in the rocker recliner, which was not very comfortable, by the way, and thought I’d have a nap.
Then, Marjorie adjusted her position in the bed.
“James, I think it’s time. Call the nurse.”
The nurse came in a moment later, smiling and assuring us that we had a wait ahead of us, but she would check things out. When she “checked things out,” everything went into high gear. That “pressure” that Marjorie was feeling was our baby ready to make his entrance. The nurse shouted for another nurse to summon the doctor we didn’t know to come quickly, because it was time to have a baby.
I had just settled in for a nap.
Fast forward 28 years…June 24, 2023…and I was in a rush to get something done. I decided to take a few seconds to wish my son a happy anniversary on his entrance into the world. So I opened Facebook, scanned my photos in my memories and found one with my wife and I smiling, holding a baby in my lap, my father leaning in with a cheesy grin, shared the photo with a birthday post and went about my business.
Later that evening, lots of friends and family had liked and commented, giving their best wishes to our son. I asked my, smarter than the average bear, wife if she had seen the post. That was a negative, so she scrolled to it and declared, “That’s not Matthew.”
“Sure it is,” I said, feigning confidence. “If not…then, who is it.” Making an already long story short, it wasn’t Matthew. It was my nephew.
What can I say? I was in a bit of a rush.
This mistake didn’t really cost me anything more than a couple of seconds changing out a photo on Facebook. I can tell you from real experience that rushing forward can lead to some very painful and expensive mistakes, even life-altering consequences that might have been avoided by hitting the pause button, waiting on the Lord, seeking wise counsel, etc.
There is a simple truth here that Solomon, with all his wisdom states in Proverb 19:2.
2 Desire without knowledge is not good,
Proverbs 19:2 (NRSV)
and one who moves too hurriedly misses the way.
Simply stated, DESIRE + IMPULSIVENESS = A LESS THAN DESIRABLE RESULT.
Have you ever missed your turn, because you were in a hurry? I’ve done that plenty of times in early morning traffic on my way to appointments at Emory Children’s hospital in Atlanta, going to a new doctor in Augusta, or finding an out-of-the-way restaurant that I wanted to try in Columbus. Listen, these are all relatively harmless examples. I’m sure we all have other examples to share when we’ve “missed the way,” because we have moved “too hurriedly” in an ill-advised direction or with an impure motive. Ouch! That can hurt.
Let’s pump the brakes a little next time, how about it. It will surely save ourselves and the ones we love from some unnecessary pain and stress. Here’s a method that certainly cannot hurt…
- Pause. Really, what’s our hurry? The pressure to perform or proceed quickly is often a response to our personal pride and desire to control or to have power. Take some time to pause and think.
- Pray. Speaking of power. When we begin to pray like this, “You Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” with even a shred of humility, we are well on our way to right (maybe, righteous) thinking and a power move that has everything to do with the Holy Spirit motivating us in love rather than self-seeking.
- Ponder. How will this decision affect those within my circle? My family? My friends? Who may have some insight or wisdom to share before I take the leap? Is this a “Your kingdom come” desire or a “My kingdom come” desire? Take some time to be thoughtful and deliberate. Thinking deeply about something is not a lack of faith. It is an act of faith. That’s a Proverbs 19:2 approach.
- Proceed (with caution). There are times when there is nothing left to do but proceed. At that time, we don’t put on blinders and noise-cancelling headphones. That’s a recipe for disaster. We walk with our eyes open and our ears attuned, continuing to say to the Lord, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
Have you ever “missed the way” while in a rush to do something? Does the wisdom of Proverbs 19:2 challenge or instruct you? Let’s share and discuss…