Wigginton speaks about building relationships over time

by Daisy Rodriguez, student news writer, Office of University Communications

Campbellsville, KY (12/13/2021) — "If you want to go deeper with God, you have to go slower with some other things."

That was the advice from Dr. Scott Wigginton, professor of pastoral ministries and counseling at Campbellsville University, who spoke at the university's chapel on Dec. 1 in Ransdell Chapel.

At the beginning of his remarks, Wigginton showed a 100-foot long rope, with a two-inch black section of the rope that represents someone's life on Earth

"What's amazing is how much time we spend thinking about this little piece, maybe 70, 80, 90 years we spend on this Earth, when the truth is, your existence in God's eyes stretches out for eternity," he said. "We celebrate Christmas, and it's about the birth of the baby, but it's really about God saying, 'I want you to be invested in so much more than just this little part."

Wigginton said our modern lives have become more fast-paced and quick.

"We've got errands to do, and if we go shopping, we do it quickly and complain about waiting," he said. "We can always use the express checkout, but if it's too slow, we use the self-checkout. We live life in the fast lane. We send emails and instant messages. We don't have time to answer, so we let voicemail get it. We have rush hour."

But, to meet and follow Christ, Christians must slow down, Wigginton said.

"The follower is not supposed to go faster than the one leading, and Jesus was never in a hurry," he said. "He was never on schedule, but he was on time. When it comes to life with Christ, time kills. That's why we call it the walk with Christ."

Wigginton told a story about a time when he was hiking with his family and how it taught him what time means.

"Normally, I'm the one to lead in the hike, my kids would be in the middle and my wife, Elizabeth, would be at the end making sure no one was out of the loop," he said. "Eventually, I noticed that one of my kids started to lead first and mom and I would be in the middle."

During the hike, Wigginton said he noticed something that stuck out to him.

"I also noticed that they were not trying to arrive there fast, but most importantly they were investing into the relationship," he said. "And if you want to invest in a relationship, you can't go faster than the pace of what it takes.

"Rushing God's time doesn't always end well."

Wigginton asked, "What would you like to hear about from God at this point in your life?"

"Your major? Potential job? A future spouse? A difficult relationship? Something to do with health? A concern about a family member or some sadness you're dealing with? Or anger?"

"I don't know what you need from him right now, but I do know this: Unless you slow down and arrange your pace to fit His, it's likely you won't hear from him."

Wigginton is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has served for 16 years as executive director of Life Care Counseling center and counseling minister at Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky.

He received his Master of Divinity, Master of Theology and Doctor of Philosophy from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an approved supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and a fellow with American Association of Pastoral Counselors.

He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three children: Auburn, Hope and Caleb.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 12,000 students offering over 100 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.

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