Holy lightning! All that is holy, rest for goodness sake!! This is the Lord’s Day, a day of rest, prayer (well everyday if inclined – just saying) and rejuvenation. Time for receiving the goodness of the week, in gratitude and thanksgiving, into the heart and mind, allowing the rattling and twitching to calm down. Knowing that this too shall pass at some point. So pause. Be still. Be attentive. Breathe in and out, in and out, in and out. Aaahhh. Well, that took about one minute, give or take. Now what? Oh to be patient and allow the day to come in. To just be. To accept what is. So yes, Sunday, the Lord’s Day, I pray for….
Patience. Patience is a verb….oops a virtue. No, it is most definitely a verb. And practice makes perfect. Oh how to begin! Well, first off… Lord give me strength (not too much because I may need bail money too – just kidding). I mean really. Is the water going to boil any faster if you stand over it and watch it? Is the turtle going to move any faster as it crosses the road to get to the other side? Is the seed you just planted going to sprout wings? Is the waiting going to change when going to the doctor’s office? Is Bell or Rogers or Koodoo going to answer you any sooner? Is the lingering snowbank going to melt any faster by taking the shovel and spreading it out (yes it does but seriously)? And don’t even get me started hearing that little angelic voice coming out of the back seat, innocent and pure, asking “are we there yet?” I’ll get you there. You betcha. Grrrrr. Is that growling? But somewhere along the way, I have gained an appreciation for patience with my grandson, who funnily enough, asks the same question…regularly. Oh well.
However, why is patience so hard to live out? I can be patient around a ton of things and then other times, impatience rears its ugly mug OVER THE LITTLEST THINGS which afterward I have to laugh at myself. Get a grip for heavens sake. But there is one situation that I have a real hard time being patient with. It has been honed over many many years of raising three teenage daughters (especially one in particular), aching my heart. I still shudder when I hear these words – “just 5 more minutes”. I think, and I may be wrong, but research suggests most teenagers have a hard time getting up early. In my experience, I nod whole-heartily and as an educator teaching teenagers, I definitely had more than my share of morning late slips and sleepy heads. Unfortunately, my knowledge did not compute to my love and nurturing department in me when it came to this. GET UP. Yep not subtle. Morning mode…check check check knock knock pound. Waiting patiently to wakey wakey times a wasty. Urgency in being patient. Jeckle and Hyde me. Bat call. Let’s just say, I do not miss that particular time of the ‘good old days’.
Funnily enough at this very moment, I am experiencing patience as a virtue, Right before my eyes, I am watching my 9-month old granddaughter being fed her food by mommy during our FaceTime talk. As the spoonful of food gets closer to her mouth, she turns her head quickly. Oh you are fast mommy!! How many ways does mommy bring the food in…waiting for the moment when babe opens her mouth to…gotcha little one. Your mommy is patient. Averted the chin, nose, cheek. No wipes. No airplane spoon needed today. Roger that.
Oh to be patient. Yes, of course patience is a virtue. It is not beyond reach; but it does need to attended to. I think I can take a page out of my dog, Maggie May. Really!? Yes. Have you ever watched your own cat or dog as they wait patiently for food as an example? Maggie May sits there. Her eyes follow me very carefully. If I put something in my mouth, her eyes move, following me carefully. The patience she shows is mind-boggling. She will wait. And wait. And wait. Then if there is even a droppling falling to the floor from a plate or the sink or the stove, she is on it like a barracuda. No patience then. Haha. Life of a pet.
I have been reading some quotes around being patient, reaching for a little nugget or two to help with cloaking myself with more patience. Maybe take patience from the humour side of things ; not do as I say.
…I wish I was as thin as my patience…I had my patience tested, I’m negative…if you think patience is a virtue try using the net without highspeed internet….Oh Lord give me patience and give it to me NOW…patience is what parents have when there are witnesses….find your patience before I lose mine…c’mon inner peace I do not have all day…I started this week with a big box of patience and now my box is empty (its Tuesday).
Some things take time. Love fully and unconditionally. Blessings.
Let us pray for those in need and to those who seek the strength to accept what comes in life.
Karenpondering 