Faith and Patience

My cleaning lady came back today, after a two week absence. She told me, only half joking, that she’d expected my building project to be finished by the time she came back. (In fact, during those two weeks, almost nothing was done.) And then she made a comment about learning patience.

That thought moseyed through my brain this evening, and I realized that I’m actually not uptight about the delays. That may have something to do with the fact that most of the time my brain doesn’t seem to be fully functional, and also something to do with the building project being only one of many big things on hold in my life.

It may also be because I’ve already learned patience.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that I’m always patient, because I’m not. When I say I’ve learned patience, I mean that I know how to be patient. I think I’m past the "learning" stage, and now I’m "practicing." I will have opportunities to practice being patient for the rest of my life, too, because I’ll be waiting for something for the rest of my life.

It’s by faith and patience that we inherit everything God promises us.

God made me a big promise a few years back. He said there was nothing He wouldn’t do for me if I would wait for Him. That means I’ll be practicing being patient all my life. But I don’t need to be learning it all my life. I can recognize pretty quickly, now, when I’m getting agitated and uptight because things aren’t happening fast enough, and I know that’s not patience. When my patience is wearing thin, I need to get a fresh dose of faith. I need to be reminded of what I’m waiting for.

So right in the here and now, I know I’ll receive what God has promised to me. I have a vision. It’s almost entirely conceptual, but a vision is a vision. In my heart I know. It’s something that is impossible enough to be of interest to God. I’m doing what I can—not being passive-and I am quietly waiting for the Lord to move. That’s faith and patience, and that’s evidence that I will receive what God promised.

I am not, however, bragging about that. There is a reason most people don’t "dig" faith and patience: waiting quietly and cheerfully for something that is impossible to happen opens you up to ridicule and a tremendous amount of self-doubt. It would be easier in many ways to go out there and make it happen myself.

But I’d rather wait for the Lord to show off. I don’t mind looking ridiculous now, while I’m waiting, because I won’t look ridiculous at all when I receive what I’m waiting for. I won’t feel apologetic then, either, to have the prize, because it will have taken a lot of endurance to get there.

Let patience do its perfect work.

I just want to rest.

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