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As my sister handed me my mail, she said, “Well, the jury duty people finally got you.”
I couldn’t help but feel annoyed. The thought of losing a day (or more!) for jury duty just didn’t appeal to me (or my bank account!). I had plans. I had appointments. And now, the court had the nerve to interfere with my schedule!
Quickly reading through the paperwork, I saw that I would have to call in the day before my scheduled jury duty date to find out if I actually had to come in.
Naturally, I did what any rational adult does in such situations:
I prayed, and prayed, and prayed to be dismissed.
Lord, please let them cancel it. Let the judge be out. Let the courts lose my file. Let anything happen so I don’t have to go! 😂
But when I finally called, a cheery recorded voice greeted me with the exact opposite of my prayer:
“Please report to the courthouse at 7:45 AM tomorrow.”
No Way Out
Sis, I know you’ve been there. Whether it’s jury duty, a job you hate, a diagnosis you didn’t expect, or singleness that just keeps going and going and going — there’s nothing like having your day (or life!) planned out, only for God to either:
- a) Do something completely different, or
- b) Allow something completely different to happen instead.
And let’s be honest: it’s frustrating! It’s not just about the change of plans (though that’s annoying too) — it’s the lack of explanation.
It’s the waiting. The not knowing. The feeling of being stalled while others seem to be sprinting into their blessings.
- You’re watching people get jobs they didn’t even apply for.
- You’re watching weddings pop up every other month.
- You’re holding space for baby showers, house warming parties, and anniversaries — and meanwhile, your name still hasn’t been called.
It’s hard to trust that God is moving behind the scenes for you when He doesn’t sit down and give you a PowerPoint presentation explaining what He’s going to do, how He is going to do it, or when He is coming through for you. Instead, you are expected to have faith and trust that God has not forgotten about you and is actively working on your behalf.
But I’m getting ahead of myself…
Getting back to the story…
From 7:45 AM to 9 AM the entire courthouse was a flurry of activity:
Registration/Check in. Herded into an assembly room. Shown several pre-recorded videos about doing our civic duty. I sat in an uncomfortable chair with my purse bunched to the side of me on my seat and with my hopes in my throat.
Eventually, someone told us we would be “assigned” to various judges’ cases. They would be calling out names. And once your name was called, you’d be ushered into an actual courtroom to serve on a case. Until then, we jurors had one job: sit and wait.
- Judge 1: Not assigned. I waited.
- Judge 2: Not assigned. I waited.
- Judge 3: Not assigned. I waited.
It was now almost noon, and I still had not been assigned to a judge! I’m not going to lie to you. I was annoyed, cranky, and tired.
What’s worse, I was one second away from falling asleep. I grabbed my phone, put my airpods in, and tried to keep busy. Yet no amount of puzzles, podcasts, or audiobooks could keep me awake! I was tired of waiting.
Maybe You’re There Right Now
- Maybe you’re not waiting for your name to be called in a courtroom.
- Maybe you’re waiting for your name to be called in a wedding ceremony.
- Or maybe you’re waiting on a job offer.
- Or maybe you’re waiting on a doctor’s report on your scans/tests that finally says “all clear.”
- Or maybe you’re waiting for a man of God who finally sees you the way you’ve been praying and begging to be seen.
Everyone else seems to be getting ushered into that back room called “marriage” or “cushy job,” or “healed” or “purpose” or “answered prayers.”
Meanwhile, you’re stuck in the great assembly room of life, ordering burnt coffee out of a vending machine, feeling forgotten and overlooked.
So…what do you do when the wait is extended, and you’re afraid you won’t make it through?
Read on for what you have to remember to get through your singleness season/waiting period in one piece.