Daily Devotional – 4/12/12 “Patience!”

There was a young man who never had patience for anything. He couldn’t stand to wait in lines at restaurants, in stores or in traffic. He thought that people should always be in a hurry, because he was. He was always rushing from the time he got up in the morning until the minute he laid down at night. He never had time to talk to the kids because he’d always rush them through the story, so they stopped talking to him. His wife could never have a casual conversation with him because he had so many thought going through his head that he never paid attention. One night after he’d come home, his wife came into the living room because she wanted, no; she needed to talk to him. He replied, “Make it fast because I have some things to do before bed.” She rolled her eyes and as she fumbled with the paper that was in her hands she said, “I had a meeting at Josh’s (their 17 year old son) school today and he is no longer going to be able to finish his junior year there, but …,” He quickly became angry shouting, I can’t believe this, I can’t believe that, what has he done now and doesn’t he know the amount of money we spend making sure he gets a great education? He went on and on for 30 minutes ranting and raving. He told the son that he was always doing things without thinking about the consequences and his actions, this was the final straw. See, their son had gotten into a lot of trouble a few years back but his dad was too busy to notice the change in his behavior for his good. He didn’t notice that he was excelling in school or that he was active and doing very well in sports and well liked in his community because he never stopped long enough too. When the son started to speak, his dad, out of anger, punched him in the chest never allowing him to explain. His son ran out of the house and as he was walking to his friend’s house a block away, he was killed by a drunk driver who jumped the curb. When they returned from the hospital, his dad sat in the living room replaying the night’s actions in his head. He couldn’t believe how fast everything had happened and now his only son was gone and he never got the chance to apologize. As he sat with his head in his hands, his wife walked in and handed him the paper that had been previously in her hand. When he opened it, he realized that his son wasn’t expelled from school for doing something bad, but that he had been accepted into college early because he was beyond his years in education and had already tested out of high school. Instead of celebrating the accomplishment with his son, he was now getting ready to bury him because he didn’t have the patience to listen.

The moral of this story, slow down! Patience is defined as the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties. Don’t you know the bible says in Matthew 6:27, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Plus worrying never made you look better and it surely won’t stop your bills from being due, your car quitting on the way home or the results from the doctor any better. So why are you rushing? Aren’t you still late if you leave the house at 8 and have to be somewhere at 8, so why are you doing 90 on the expressway? Aren’t you still going to be a few minutes late for your doctor’s appointment because you left the house a few minutes late? Wouldn’t you rather make it a few minutes late rather than not make it at all? Why are you are pacing trying to figure out how to make your next move a great move, when God says he already has it covered? That’s what the bibles says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Why are you already stressing about tomorrow’s worries when you haven’t even given a thought about today’s when Matthew 6:34 says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” You are worrying about June and its April. You’re worried about next week’s weather when tomorrow isn’t promised. You are worried about the project that due’s next month at work when you should be focused on the one that’s due Friday. Honey, BE STILL! Philippians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” See, God is trying to do something in your life, at this very moment, but you’re moving too fast to see it. God is trying to tell you something but your mind is too busy to hear it. God could have a blessing walking beside you on the street but you won’t slow down long enough to receive it. Don’t you know how worse Job’s life would have been had he not had the patience to endure the trap that had been set by the devil? Job knew that in order for him to be blessed he had to endure some stress, so he waited for God to bring him out his storm. Yea, he went to Hell and back but he waited. Why? Because he knew no matter what he went through, God was there the whole time.

And it’s the same with you. God hasn’t left you just because you are having a hard time right now. Don’t you know that God made you late to avoid the huge traffic jam on your way to work or to miss that 18 wheeler who would have crashed into the back of you? God made the line long at the coffee shop because he didn’t want the sick waitress to fix your drink because he knew you didn’t want to miss your vacation. He made your wait at the restaurant a little longer because the manager made them recook your food that had fallen on the floor. Just because things aren’t going right, it doesn’t mean it’s for your bad and you’d probably realize it if you stopped rushing and worrying. How do you expect to enjoy the sun if you see it every day? How could you enjoy the good days if you never had any bad days? How could you thank God for your well days if you never experienced any sick ones? How would you enjoy the extra money you have left this week if you never experienced a shortage? God gives us patience in order for us to be able to handle the stress, worries and strife of this world. He gives us patience to endure the many no’s we hear on a daily basis. He gives us patience in order to care when the world stops. You have patience but you need to take a few minutes to pull them out of the drawer you stuck them in. Take a minute and have a conversation with the folks in your home. Take the few extra minutes on your drive home and talk to God. Slow down and smell the fresh air while you’re walking from that parking space that’s all the way in the back that you complained about. Have patience and wait because there could be a blessing in it. If God made it so easy for you to climb the mountain, would you actually enjoy the view from the top when you make it?