1Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient (never tired of waiting) ….
Tap, tap, tap… “This thing is so slow!” I complain as I repeatedly tap the touch pad of my lap top, trying to get it to close a program. “Mom, it’s not going to go any faster if you keep clicking the red X. Relax and let it to it’s thing” my teen daughter tells me…
“I’m not putting up with this!” I exclaim as I click the phone off. (What ever happened to good old fashioned desk phones that would withstand a slamming hang up for good measure?) “Waiting on hold for that long is insane. Do they think I have all the time in the world?” I complain out loud…
“Are you ready now?” I bellow in an irritated tone to my teen daughter, from the open front door. “I want to leave TODAY, while it’s still light out! …How about NOW??? Are you ready?” I add – as if that will be the motivation she needs to hurry her along. The only thing on the agenda for the day’s errands is grocery shopping and I’m pushing my daughter out the door because I’m tired of waiting…
Yes, these are actual clips of my daily life within the last month or less… I’m ashamed to admit how impatient I can be.
I did a thesaurus check on “patient” and found these words: enduring, tolerant, unwearied, uncomplaining, long-suffering, and serene. Serene? You mean I’m supposed to put up with the irritants in my life unflustered to boot?
Well, in the words of my daughter, “FAIL!”
I fail when it comes to loving others by applying patience to situations, especially the peaceful long-suffering type of patience.
How did I get so impatient? Is it because I’ve lived in the world of instant so long that I want everything NOW? Am I becoming one of those (elderly) people who are cranky because things don’t happen quickly enough for them? Possibly …
Though as I type, I feel the Holy Spirit telling me, in that still small voice, that it’s more likely because I am not putting my relationship with God first and foremost in my life. How can I have patience in life if I’m not ‘filling up’ with it by spending my first few moments of the day with The Master of Patience? I can only pour out of my bucket what it’s filled with… If it’s filled with patience and serenity I will be able to pour those qualities out. If it isn’t, then only impatience and irritation will sprinkle on everyone.
My day starts with me waking up to a head full of crazy thoughts dashing everywhere at once. “What do I have to do today?”, “What day is it anyway?”, “Are there any appointments we need to get to?”, “Who’s supposed to come over?”, “What bills are due?”, “Will this pain ever go away?”
If I am not proactive and take every first thought captive bringing it to the Lord, my mood is impatient, irritated and not very pleasant to be around, for the entire day. However, if I disengage from these little frantic first thoughts of the day and simply thank God for today, thank Him for living in the greatest country on earth (still), thank Him for a wonderful husband and life that He has given us, thank Him for my awesome children and grand daughters, getting my priorities in line with His, my mood is tranquil. Then waiting for life to unfold isn’t a bother for me.
It doesn’t mean my poor aging laptop will get any faster. It doesn’t mean I will never have long waits on hold, whether on the phone or in person some place. It doesn’t mean my daughter will miraculously be ready as soon as I want to leave the house. But what it does mean is that I can pause during those times of delay and breathe a prayer of thanks to God for the understanding that in restraining my impulse to show frustration I’m actually applying love, Godly love, to the situation thereby glorifying Him, and shining my light for Him.
Dear Lord, help me learn to
think of delays as
Holy Pauses in my day and
apply Godly love to them,
in the form of patience.
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