Back when I was a newly minted wife, a military wife no less, I heard this saying frequently: “hurry up and wait.” It was said almost as much as “Semper Fi.” Was this the military spouse motto? Was some drill instructor wife going to tap me on the shoulder and ask me to respond accordingly?

What in the world does “hurry up and wait“ mean anyway?

As time went on, I found that it’s less of a theoretical principle and more of a process. Waiting by hurrying or hurrying time along by waiting. The hurry in the wait. The wait in the hurry. Deployment or the long days of training made this idea clear.

Ultimately, my husband left behind a career in military service and thereby concluded by military spouse calling. But the quippy saying stuck along. Hurry up and wait.

I can’t tell you how annoying that saying was to me. If it has a checklist, you bet I’m all about it. Oh, and accolade? Count. Me. In. While it’s not something I’m especially proud of, I thrive in an environment where I go until I’m out. No waiting involved.

And this is where marriage, motherhood, and discipleship all found me—a woman so involved in the hurry just to get to the end. I learned the hard way that sanctification doesn’t happen overnight. When I first became a believer, I thought, “This is it! I’ll never sin again!” Ha!

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

— 1John 1:8

Ouch. The truth isn’t in us if we turn a blind eye to the wait? DECEPTION? If you’re focused on the hurrying part of the saying, you lose sight of Jesus (1 John 1:6). We end up believing a lie that we can be our own saviors if we simply do everything and say we no longer sin. Because what perfect person needs Jesus? But the person who’s stuck in the waiting room? Turns out you can find Jesus in the wait.

“Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight….”

Not all hurrying is bad; just like this beautiful, old hymn expresses, there’s a day when our faith will be sight. The sanctification will be complete—our joy complete. So hurry up and find Jesus in the wait.