Love, Joy, Peace, Patience....
And which frame was it that constantly tilted off-center to the right? Patience. And how many times did I have to haul over a chair, climb onto it, and reach to straighten it? Too many to count.
In exasperation, I purchased a product that promised to keep frames from moving around on the wall. It wasn't until I was on the chair once more, using more than was necessary, that I realized God was speaking to my heart.
Patience was off-center on my wall because it was crooked in my heart.
I've had nine years of working on patience since that moment, my nine year old son standing in as a marker of time. Has patience grown in me as much as he has grown?
What do I do when the cashier rings me up wrong without an apology, me with two kids corralled in the checkout line? What do I say when my husband comes home late for the dinner I've worked hard on all afternoon? What do my eyes communicate when my daughter wants to tell me a long story in the middle of my project? What does my heart meditate on when God does not answer a prayer on my timetable?
And while I may have grown over the years, it wasn't until this summer that I finally had a breakthrough. It was while my husband and I taught the small ones at church that it happened. It was his turn to help them see, and I marveled at how he does it so well. So many pairs of eyes fixed upon their pastor wearing a silly hat and standing at the fruit stand of patience.
"Do you know what patience is? Patience is knowing other people are special, too."
And that was the key I needed. Because I really do know they are. And I want to treat them that way. I want them to know they are loved and appreciated when they look into my eyes.
When they give me incorrect change.
When he's made a mistake.
When she needs me right now.
When I don't understand.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience...because other people are special, too.
