PATIENCE…
The dictionary says patience is the capacity for waiting
Look up the words “patience” and “wait” in the Concordance of your Bible. Take a few minutes and read through some of the verses. It gave me food for thought. How about you?
Wait… As Christians we seem to always be waiting. What are we waiting for? We wait for many things, some large, some small. Some are deep and philosophical while some are concrete and immediate. Some things vary by the hour or the day. Some of our waits are short term and some are life-long.
About a year and a half ago, when my son and his fiancée made the decision to postpone their wedding, I needed to be patient. I needed to give them time to be ready to get married. I had no say in the matter. I just had to wait, to be patient and to pray that God would guide them along the path He had in mind.
If you know me very well you know that being patient is not my strong suit. I want God to get on ”my schedule.” He and I have been working on this for many decades. I am a slow learner. Years ago the result of this delay would have resulted in numerous discussions between God and myself. During these discussions I did a lot of talking or ranting and God was patiently (I hope) listening. He knew that I was going to be a long-term project. I’m glad He hangs in there, with us, for the long haul.
This time it was different. I prayed daily for God to help each of us find the path He had planned. Deep down I knew that things would turn out right. What I did not know was the timing. The patience I needed to get through was there for me. Each day as I prayed, God gave me what I needed to get through. It was a day at a time, not the final plan in advance. (God’s schedule not mine). But, I was OK with it and that was a big surprise because that is not the way I usually operate. God was teaching me to be patient and trust in Him. I needed to have both pieces, trust and patience, working together in unison.
God rewarded my patience with a beautiful wedding that was absolutely wonderful. The weather was perfect, the food delicious, the ceremony moving, and the bride and groom beaming. It was great celebration and well worth the wait!
I think I am a bit more patient these days. Not that I don’t have those discussions with God anymore. But these days during our chats I do more thinking and try to listen more than I talk. Patience is something I think I will be working on for the rest of my life.
Gretchen Brammer
The dictionary says patience is the capacity for waiting
Look up the words “patience” and “wait” in the Concordance of your Bible. Take a few minutes and read through some of the verses. It gave me food for thought. How about you?
Wait… As Christians we seem to always be waiting. What are we waiting for? We wait for many things, some large, some small. Some are deep and philosophical while some are concrete and immediate. Some things vary by the hour or the day. Some of our waits are short term and some are life-long.
About a year and a half ago, when my son and his fiancée made the decision to postpone their wedding, I needed to be patient. I needed to give them time to be ready to get married. I had no say in the matter. I just had to wait, to be patient and to pray that God would guide them along the path He had in mind.
If you know me very well you know that being patient is not my strong suit. I want God to get on ”my schedule.” He and I have been working on this for many decades. I am a slow learner. Years ago the result of this delay would have resulted in numerous discussions between God and myself. During these discussions I did a lot of talking or ranting and God was patiently (I hope) listening. He knew that I was going to be a long-term project. I’m glad He hangs in there, with us, for the long haul.
This time it was different. I prayed daily for God to help each of us find the path He had planned. Deep down I knew that things would turn out right. What I did not know was the timing. The patience I needed to get through was there for me. Each day as I prayed, God gave me what I needed to get through. It was a day at a time, not the final plan in advance. (God’s schedule not mine). But, I was OK with it and that was a big surprise because that is not the way I usually operate. God was teaching me to be patient and trust in Him. I needed to have both pieces, trust and patience, working together in unison.
God rewarded my patience with a beautiful wedding that was absolutely wonderful. The weather was perfect, the food delicious, the ceremony moving, and the bride and groom beaming. It was great celebration and well worth the wait!
I think I am a bit more patient these days. Not that I don’t have those discussions with God anymore. But these days during our chats I do more thinking and try to listen more than I talk. Patience is something I think I will be working on for the rest of my life.
Gretchen Brammer
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