Long lines
and short tempers... instant coffee in
the microwave... frozen “convenience” foods that cater to the “I need it
yesterday” mentality as a culture. I’m late! I’m late! I’m late! we scream as
we dash out into rush-hour traffic. Seems like everyone’s patience these days
is worn thin with all the hurrying, scurrying and worrying.
Patience.
That’s one of those little ‘object lessons’ that I definitely object to. I’ll
give you an example. I found a cool decoration for our basement rec room, one
of those retro beaded curtains that hang in a doorway. I wanted to string them along the open space going down our cellar stairs.
The
individual beaded cords had to come off the hanging rod, since the area was
wider than the rod. So I did that. But then … those beady little strings
managed to get intertwined into a big, knotted mess. It was unbelievable. I had
to disentangle each twisted string from the heap.
So,
naturally, I copped an attitude while I was doing this. What is the point of
this … nothing is ever easy... why, Lord, whhhyyyyy? Thoughts turn cosmic when
things make no sense.
But after a
while, I got into a groove working on those silly strings, unraveling the knots
one at a time as if they were wound into a kind of puzzle. And rather than hang
on to my frustration, I began to see that even the most ridiculous of
situations can be turned into a lesson in patience.
It's one of the "fruits of the spirit" talked about in the Bible
(love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness... found in
Galatians 5:22-23) we often think we acquire instantaneously when we begin a
relationship with God. But fruit takes time to ripen and grow, time to
cultivate its sweetness. There’s no shortcut, no easy way to learn patience. It
must be developed in us. And that only happens when we allow God to teach us
through the trials (major, minor, or just plain annoying) that we experience
daily.
No express lane thinking for me, thanks. I’d much rather
take the scenic route, and learn to enjoy my life instead of just rushing
through it.
Well, the
beaded curtain did get up after a while... and I have to say...
it looks great. Though only a small lesson in patience, it may yet prove handy. Winter’s not too far away. And I can’t wait to see what our box of Christmas lights looks like.
it looks great. Though only a small lesson in patience, it may yet prove handy. Winter’s not too far away. And I can’t wait to see what our box of Christmas lights looks like.
