So many times I must pray for patience...
and yet, I know deep in my heart, that I'm not really wanting patience, but rather, circumstances that don't require patience at all...
I'd rather that a trip to the toilet be JUST a trip to the toilet and NOT a trip to the bath TUB as well...
I'd rather that a full sippy cup, potty stop, teeth brushed, prayers said, reading together and a kiss & hug would be enough to lull sleepy ones to dreamland and not 10 more climbs up and down the stairs to answer "one more question" and "could you fix the nightlight"
I'd rather that recipes just cook themselves and work out regardless of whether I've followed them to the "T" or not.
I'd rather the electricity never go out, lines never be long, snow always to melt quickly and coupons to be in my mailbox the day I actually need them.
The reality is...I can't control the circumstances...and no matter how much I WANT them to be just so, more times than not, it's not going to be that way...
Prov. 14:29 says, "A patient man has great understanding..." I guess that clues me in that patience isn't just a matter of behavior or taking a deep breath...it almost carries a "timeless" factor...meaning that it is able to put into perspective this "speck" of time, in the midst of the countless moments in earthly measurement of life...
A dictionary definition for patience is "hopeful forebearance"
To be patient is to not lose hope.
To be patient is to understand and see beyond the circumstance.
To be patient is to see reality for what it is and discern how my heart will react.
THIS is what I need...this is what I pray for...
I will continue to encounter the mishaps, the accidents, the occasional nasty driver...I can't control them...
but, I can pray that the time it takes for me to recognize and get my heart under control will be quicker than my selfish desire to lash out and react in annoyance...
Here's to hopeful forebearance!!!
