A while back I told my granddaughter I was going to do a sermon. She asked what I was talking about. I told her "Patience." She was shocked, "Patience! You talking about patience! You are probably the most impatient person I know."
I have thought a lot about this and in many ways she is right. The Apostle Paul reminds us "Love is patient"... and my impatience gets in the the way... in the way of receiving His love and in the way of being the loving person He would have me be.
A friend of mine had been a very busy and successful corporate executive. He traveled a great deal and did not spend the time with his wife that he really wanted to do. Time apart is hard on a marriage, even a good marriage. She became ill and he was at her bedside daily for several weeks. He couldn't do anything... just be. Hold her hand. Wipe her brow. Read to her. Be there while she slept. He shared with me, "You know Bill, I fell in love with her all over again."
I recently had a similar experience... far less severe and less dramatic. My wife had surgery. She is fine. But getting over it takes time. I was with her for large blocks of time. I tried to be patient. I too fell in love all over again. Patience does open the way for love. Impatience is high on the list of deadly sins. |