Patience

If I had to sum up the last few months in a word it would be patience. This is something I have struggled with for my entire life. I have a tough time with patience. Most of my issues are small and easily handled; like trying to understand why the kid at Taco Bell can't get my order right when I'm standing right in front of him telling him what I want........

Other patience trials are a little harder and take more time to process. Sometimes I find myself praying for God to grant me patience and asking him to please grant it now. It is just hard to wait sometimes.

Waiting for people, waiting in line, waiting for the kids to figure out how to act, waiting for God to give clarity and direction......just waiting..... patiently. Do you ever feel like the psalmist who wrote this...

Psalm 69:3 (The Message)
I'm hoarse from calling for help, Bleary-eyed from searching the sky for God

Man.....it is hard at times. But then there is this other piece of advice that shouts out from the Psalms to my heart..

Psalm 37:7
Quiet down before God, be prayerful before him. Don't bother with those who climb
the ladder, who elbow their way to the top.

Being quiet and listening to God is difficult sometimes. We ask for guidance and then work at guiding ourselves. We ask for direction and then work at creating our own map. We ask for help and then work hard to help ourselves.

All of us have been victims of those who are elbowing their way to the top and all of us have victimized others in the same way. As we go through this rough patch in our family...searching for jobs, trying to understand people, trying to understand church......we have to be quiet and listen to God.

Kingdom work is at stake. That is why we are here. That is our charge. We wrong and we are wronged. We are victims and we victimize. The ability to exercise patience and being quiet before God is a must when searching for God's direction.

After all, the grace and patience shown to us by our Father goes beyond anything we deserve. Showing that grace and patience to others goes a long way to learning God's ways and following Christ's example. Even when those we think are friends and allies turn their back as they preach grace and forgiveness.....we must continue to look for God's lessons in it all. Even when we think we know what is best........we must wait. Even when vindication and justification stand at the front of our minds.......patience.

Psalm 40:1-3
I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened. He lifted me
out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock to make
sure I wouldn't slip. He taught me how to sing the latest God-song, a praise-song to our
God. More and more people are seeing this: they enter the mystery, abandoning
themselves to God.


I'm out.....