Be patient. How many times were you told that as a child? And now, for those who are parents or work with children...how many times have you uttered that phrase this week alone? I think that must have been one of the phrases my mom uttered the most...with 3 girls (and at one point 5!) in our home and only one bathroom, you just had to be. Yet, after all those years of learning to be patient...I find myself struggling with it again. Being a parent and teaching my kids the importance and value in patience is proving to be a harder task than I had planned...as much of parenthood has been...because I myself, am pretty impatient. When discussing patience...our generation has it pretty easy. We are inundated with technology catering to our impatient nature and desire for immediate gratification. Why send a birthday card that can take days (gasp!) to reach someone...as well as time to go shopping, write a witty note, find the address and take to the mailbox...when an ecard will do. Can you imagine what it was like way back when...you know just a few decades back...when letters and weekly phone conversations were how you kept in touch with those you held near and dear. Just think, you would put a letter in the mail and then wait maybe 2 weeks to hear back...we can barely stay focused during a 5 minute conversation. What about waiting in line...we don't strike up a conversation to pass the time or use the few minutes of silence...instead we pick up our phones, huff loudly and type up a complaint about our incredibly long wait. And look at Disney World, I have only been like once...when I was 10. But even if you haven't been...just imagine somewhere with really long lines (county fair, carnival, theme parks, Dr's office, DMV, etc.). Disney has created this fast pass/armband concept where you can reserve a space in line...30 days in advance. Or if you don't have a band, you can make a mad dash through the park and grab a ticket guaranteeing you a spot on Splash Mountain at 11:10am when the park opens at 9am. As our technology continues to grow, our need to be patient declines.
The Bible is full of stories recounting times when people had to be patient and wait on God to fulfill His promises. Abraham was called by God to be made into a "great nation," yet he and his wife were old and had no children. Abraham waited on God...tried to make it happen on his own...learned the hard way...and 25 (by some estimates) years later, God fulfilled His promise (Genesis 12-22). Then there is Moses who spent 40 years being "trained" before being called into ministry (at the age of 80). There is also Job, Joseph, Jesus and many more. God has already worked through all the details and has a plan in place for each and every one of us. Remember that God doesn't work at our speed, we need to adjust our expectations and trust in He who made us.
So where does that leave us? We know that life isn't meant to happen at warp speed. If we are constantly caught in the rush of trying to cut out more waiting time then when do we have time to just listen? God is always talking, looking to call us in to the lineup, to nudge us in the right direction, but we have to be listening. We also need to be ready, to be able to deviate from our plans and adjust to His. The work that we are doing now may not see any results for days, weeks or even years. There are people that you may merely point towards God, but you won't know the impact that you had on their life until we are all in glory. We all have a roll to play, not everyone of us can be a pastor leading people to the cross every Sunday, but we can be a good neighbor making time to talk to the lady next door who has been alone for as long as you have lived beside her, or give a word of encouragement to the cashier who looks like they have seen better days; these small gestures can reap big rewards in Heaven, it could be the opportunity to tell someone about our savior, to plant a seed of faith, to encourage someone along their walk.
we are so used to things happening instantly, we have lost the art of patience. There are so many opportunities lost due to our focus on self and aversion to waiting. But I think that it is in those moments of waiting where the greatest opportunities of growth are.
Allow God to work within you, don't rush His handiwork in your life. And when it gets too hard to wait, fall to your knees and pray...call on a friend to come along side you...seek His peace and know that He hears you.
No comments:
Post a Comment