It’s late and as I sit in front of my laptop typing I can’t believe how long it has been since I’ve posted anything. 😮 When I stepped away from ministry a few years ago I hadn’t planned on stepping away from blogging as well. But life happens and sometimes things don’t work out the way we plan. A lot has happened since then which I will be sharing over the next few months or so. But today I want to touch on patience.
The main road by our neighborhood is getting a facelift. A major facelift. Our little two lane road is becoming a four lane road. While it is an improvement for the flow of traffic it’s also a little sad to see. In order to accomplish the goal of widening the road, so many trees that once lined the sides of the road, had to come down. Talk about shocking. Where once there was a coziness (if that is possible for a stretch of road) suddenly there is starkness. I imagine once it is complete it won’t be so bad but in the meantime you just have to be a little more considerate with the traffic and be prepared to stop and wait. Who wants to do that when they are in a hurry to get someplace? I am blessed to live close enough to work that I am able to go home for lunch every day. When the traffic comes to a stop due to the road work, I have watched more drivers turn around and go back the way they came because they couldn’t wait just a few more minutes for traffic to flow again. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I’ve thought the same thing. I’ll just turn around and not bother trying to go home. What I have learned though is with a little patience it doesn’t take long for the traffic to flow again.
Patience. Have you ever heard people say “pray for patience”? I have but the flip side of praying for patience is “trials”. How can one expect to gain patience without going through trials?
Now I know that waiting in traffic isn’t a major crisis but it can produce some hotheads. If you find yourself sitting in traffic and you feel yourself becoming frustrated, turn it around. I mean why give the devil the pleasure of watching a play by play of people getting angry and frustrated over things like traffic? Or the person who takes the last box of your favorite food item just as you reach for it? I find myself trying to look at things differently. After all when you are stopped and can’t move forward, it gives you an opportunity to breathe deep, look around at your surroundings, and see the wonders of God’s creations. The choice is ours. When I find myself getting frustrated over little things like backed up traffic (or big things). I have to remind myself that I don’t have to give the devil something to cheer about. The next time you find yourself becoming frustrated by setbacks, ask yourself who do you want to be cheering you on? God bless.
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