Today was NOT a good day for patience

Today was a difficult day for my patience level. I’m not sure what made it so different than any other day but for some reason it was. The fact that I haven’t received my notification to take my certification exam coupled with the fact that I still don’t have a clue as to where I will be employed just sent me over the edge.

I spent most the day in a fog, crying endlessly. I felt worthless and unorganized. Then a phone call…a phone interview is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Then after crying some more because my patience had flown out the door, I find my bible verses.

The first note card is titled: When doubt creeps in remember…

                2 Cor. 10: 5. They (our weapons) destroy arguments, and every defense that is raised up to oppose the knowledge of God. They capture every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

And if that wasn’t good enough to wake me up and put an abrupt halt to my pity party, I also had James 1: ⁵ But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask. ⁶ Whoever asks shouldn’t hesitate. They should ask in faith, without doubting. Whoever doubts is like the surf of the sea, tossed and turned by the wind. ⁷ People like that should never imagine that they will receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ They are double-minded, unstable in all their ways.

So, I pull myself together and realize patience will not come to me over night nor will I wake up and have it daily. I have to ask for it daily. But it sure is nice to have these cards in unexpected places. Yes, I know people say to paste them where you can see them daily, but that is kind of like pictures on the wall. You get used to them being there and they simple become part of the décor.

Another one I read was Phil. 3:  ¹² it’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose.(to be a PNP) ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. ¹⁴ The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus. (I’m not doing this to be a PNP….I’m doing this to fulfill God’s calling on my life.)¹⁵ So, all of us who are spiritually mature should think this way and if anyone thinks differently, God will reveal it to him or her. ¹⁶ Only let’s live in a way that is consistent with whatever level we have reached.

These verses rounded out my meeting with God:

Ecc. 11:5 Just as you do not understand how a child I formed in the womb you will never understand the mystery at work in all of God’s ways

Rom 8:38 I could be sure that every detail of my life and love for God is worked into something good. God is always at work for good of everyone that loves him.

2 Cor. 9:8 God will provide all I need. I will always have more than enough to do good things for others.

Ps. 94:11. God knows my plans are worthless, a mere breath, useless and a shallow. His plans have a greater purpose.

Jer. 29:11. For I know the plans I have for you says the lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a future and hope.

Ps. 9:10 I know your name and I trust in you for you do not abandon me when I search for you. You are my fortress in times of trouble. (I can relax when I am with you ; where you have called me).

Ps 37: 4-7 Do what the Lord wants and He will give you the desires of your heart. Let the Lord lead you and trust Him to help. Then it will be clear as the noon day sun that you were right. Be patient and trust the Lord. Don’t let it bother you when all goes well for those who do sinful things.

Ps. 37: 23 If you do what the Lord wants he will make certain each step you take is sure. The Lord will hold your hand and if you stumble you still won’t fall.

It’s the word that’s getting me through….even on these difficult days.

A subject of many artistic outlets

In researching patience today, I learned there are many artistic talents devoted to this word. Guns and Roses have a song titled “Patience” as does a British boy band called Take That. George Michael titled his 2004 album Patience as did the Rhine’s in 1992 and Peter Hammill in 1983. There is an opera Bunthorne’s Bride written on patience and one of the main characters name is Patience and another one written by Jason Shermon in 1998. In J. Shermon’s play  the focus is that life’s outcomes are not controllable whether or not events are connected. The key is happiness with self and the outcomes will not matter. The 2006 Broadway musical Dream Girls make use of  the song “Patience” written by H. Krieger and W. Reale. I even learned that the game of Solitaire is also called patience. And last many poems have been written about patience. Almost all of these artistic explanations of  patience focus on love and as one google definition stated: it’s endurance under difficult circumstances.

2 Peter 1: 3-11

Christian life in outline

 ³ By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory. ⁴ Through his honor and glory he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, that you may share the divine nature and escape from the world’s immorality that sinful craving produces.

 ⁵ This is why you must make every effort to add moral excellence to your faith; and to moral excellence, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, patience; and to patience, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, affection for others; and to affection for others, love. ⁸ If all these are yours and they are growing in you, they’ll keep you from becoming inactive and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ Whoever lacks these things is shortsighted and blind, forgetting that they were cleansed from their past sins. (I don’t know about you but I want these to be active and fruitful; I don’t want to be shortsighted and blind about where I came from.)

 ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers and sisters, be eager to confirm your call and election. Do this and you will never ever be lost. ¹¹ For in this way you will receive a rich welcome into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

I want to learn to be tolerant when I am facing delay. I don’t want to act on my annoyance in a negative way when I am facing a setback. I continue to pray for help in learning patience. I think that is why I am painting today. I’m even painting the trim without taping it off so that I intentionally have to go slow so that I do not get the white trim paint on my red walls. Look out patience…here I come.

PATIENCE: Patience is a choice?

PATIENCE: Patience is a choice?: "Patience is a ChoiceI said patience is something I am working on this year and plan to be better at before the year’s end, but what exact..."

Patience is a choice?

Patience is a Choice

I said patience is something I am working on this year and plan to be better at before the year’s end, but what exactly do I see as the end to obtaining this fruit of the Spirit as mentioned in Galatians 5: 22-23 (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. )? There are people I view as being patient…my step mother Sandra (after all she has put up with my dad for 40 years); Gloria Burness; Mimi (Stella Drake); Helen Morgan; Tommy Abbott; Ashley Hickman; and one of my newest friends Amy Ketchum. I look at these people and think one day I’ll be able to react to certain situations like they do…calm, cool and collected…not like Mt. Everest. 

What makes patience, waiting without complaint, so difficult and such a virtue? And why can’t we just decide, “OK, from now on, I’m going to be patient and that’s all there is to it”? Why does it seem to come so easily to some and completely fly by others? This virtue of patience is more difficult than it seems at first glance.

Ok, so patience is waiting without complaint. Now there are many times we wait without complaining such as waiting on a cake to bake or waiting to see a friend you haven’t seen in a while. But it is those times of waiting when we would normally complain, such as in the checkout line at Wal Mart or at a doctor’s appointment, yet we CHOOSE not to complain that we are exhibiting true patience. 

Can you imagine what Jesus would have sounded like complaining? “Simon, don’t make me tell you twice to take this boat out further, believe me I know what I’m talking about.” “Peter, how many times do I have to tell you to keep your eyes on me? I should let you drown, you moron!” (Why do you think Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter which means Rock…probably because his head was hard as a rock!) Or what if he had complained about being a carpenter for most his life before he could accomplish what he was sent here for…”If I have to pound another nail, I think my head will explode”. 

My personal opinion is that he used these waiting times as praying times. I would like to think he was praying for me while he was pounding those nails, “Father, I lift Stacey up to you today. She is going to pray for patience one day because she is going to realize the value it will add to her life. Father, I pray you help her through the trials of patience you will put her through so she will see how strong you made her and what an over comer she is. I thank you in advance Father for the changes you will make in her life.” I also think he pictured me most often when Simon Peter was acting up, I’ve been pretty hard headed too. 

So what do I see as the end product of gaining the virtue of patience the ability to put myself in the shoes of those sharing in my “waiting” experience with me, to accept that the cashier may be new or she may have just lost a loved one and that is why her line is not moving too fast. To accept that the doctor is spending the time with the current patient he is with as I want him to spend with me. To know that all things work for the glory of God and his timing is not my timing. These are what I hope to accomplish.

PATIENCE: Let me in on your secret...

PATIENCE: Let me in on your secret...: "1 Col. 1:9-12 Fill me with the knowledge of your will with all the wisdom and understanding your Spirit can give me that you might conside..."

Let me in on your secret...

1 Col. 1:9-12 Fill me with the knowledge of your will with all the wisdom and understanding your Spirit can give me that you might consider me worthy. May all I do will be pleasing to you and bear fruit so that I may grow in your knowledge. Strengthened me with all power, that I may have great endurance and patience and that I offer You thanks for allowing me to share in this inheritance.  You’ve rescued me from darkness and brought me into your kingdom by giving your son to die for my sins.  Thank u, Amen!

You have a will, a plan, a purpose. Lord, I will trust in You with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding; in all my ways I will acknowledge You, and You will direct my paths. (Prov. 3:5-6) But just because I am not leaning on my own understanding does not mean that I do NOT want understanding. FILL me with YOUR knowledge of the will for my life. Help me to hear your voice as I walk in the direction I believe I am suppose to go. Whether I turn to the right  to the left, open my ears to hear Your voice behind me, Saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21). You said if I lack wisdom to ask for it and you will give it to me liberally without finding fault and I am asking. (James 1:5). I will hope for what I do not yet have; I wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:25)