I noticed she was overly hasty about settling down maritally; she was not in a relationship at the time. Before I knew it, she brought her wedding invite to me; everything happened very fast. I got to know that the reason for her haste was because her younger sister was planning her own wedding. She decided that her younger sister must not marry before her. Just weeks into her marriage, she started regretting her marriage. Her younger sister did not eventually get married that year as her relationship did not work out.
Friend, you need to avoid haste. You need to beware of comparison (2 Corinthians 10:12). It is a major killer of destiny. Many people have made shipwreck of their destiny and truncated God’s program for their lives because of haste and comparison. Just as it is with some road crashes, driving your life with another person’s speed would always lead to accident in destiny.
The truth is, nobody is faster or slower than you. We are all walking our unique paths in destiny (Joel 2:7-8). The fact that you finished school the same year does not mean you would always be at the same place at the same time. This is why we say that you don’t have a mate in destiny. You may be agemates, classmates, or roommates, but you are never destinymates. We all have our unique destinies under God.
Like the young lady in our opening story, many people have entered into a marriage of regret because of haste (Isaiah 28:16). I will always say this; it is better to marry (seemingly) late and enjoy your marriage than to marry early and regret your marriage. God makes everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The married life is too long to be endured. Marriage was created to be enjoyed (Proverbs 5:18, 18:22). But you need to follow God and His timing for your life.
We all need stabilisers in our lives. These are people that God places in our lives to stabilise us at the junctures of our lives and destiny (Isaiah 52:12). A lot of times, we allow our emotions; worry, doubt, pressure, envy, feeling, haste, etc., to get a hold of us. This is when we need people who think straight. We need mentors, pastors, and fathers who would tell us to calm down.
You need to calm down. Stop running the rat race. You are not in competition with anyone. You are only in competition with God’s purpose for your life (Hebrews 12:1-2). Maintain your focus. Follow God’s timing for you. Don’t marry, start a church, business, or relocate because others are doing it. Like Jesus, even if your brothers and friends are telling you to jump out, you need to have the gut to tell them; “My time has not yet come (John 7:6).” Avoid haste! Stop the comparison!
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria