A Lesson in Patience

     Often I struggle to find the right words, I struggle to put something together that I feel in my spirit is pleasing to God. I pray each day for His words and the message He would have me share with His children. And sometimes things really come together, and I give Him all the glory for that, but today is not one of those days. Today is one of those days where I pray, write, delete, and do it all over again. I keep trying though, I keep trying to discern what it is I should share. And maybe today what needs to be shared most, maybe why I have been so frustrated writing today is, that it is important to keep searching, to keep trying to seek Him even when there isn't a clear answer. Sometimes we just have to stand in faith and have patience, we have to just accept things will work out according to His plan, in His time.
      This is a difficult thing for most people, myself included. Patient is a word few people would describe me as and today as I tried the third, and fourth times to write something in the Spirit, and got nothing, I got impatient with God. I got frustrated. I had to take a break from thinking about what I wanted to do and say, and I had to step away from the situation to get some clarity. When I finally came back to it a couple hours later with a more clear mind I read over what I wrote earlier, deleted it and started writing this. As I thought over things, as I thought about my frustration and impatience I saw the lesson in it.
       Things will not go according to my plan all the time, and getting upset over not getting things my way isn't going to change that. Getting frustrated with God and myself isn't going to help. What will help, and what did help was stepping back, and looking at things in a new perspective, thanks to the children I care for I was able to do that. I realized as I listened to one of the babies crying as I fed the other and did my best to speak calmly, and comfortingly to him that sometimes in life we just have to wait and that's all there is to it. Sometimes we have to be patient and allow things to happen, and if at all possible wait in grace and not tantrums. I'm sure someone would love to say something about me saying 'if at all possible' but let me explain that with this, we are human and there will always be times where are flesh gets the better of us.
     I knew this morning that if I was patient and just let the morning unfold as it should that eventually it would all work out, but instead I chose to let myself get upset, I chose to have tantrum and get frustrated, to demand that things happen on my time table. Each time I went back to read what I wrote just to delete again, I became more upset, telling myself if I don't get it done now I never will! Obviously that wasn't true. Things didn't get done on my time table, but they did get done. I wanted to post this morning, but it wasn't right then because God had other plans, He needed to remind me of the importance of being patient and allowing the spirit to work in me. I needed a reminder that things may not always work out how or when I want, but they will work out. Be blessed.

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. 9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

Hebrews 6:15   
And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.