Patience, Iago!

I've always considered myself a patient person - mostly because people used to tell me all the time just how patient I was. Looking back, I think I was more selfish than patient. The situations wherein I exhibited "patience" were situations in which restraint was required for self-preservation. Now, that's probably confusing to those of you who don't know me or how I grew up - but you'll just have to take my word for it ;-)

The more I am on my own, with no serious repercussions for not excercising patience, the less patient I seem to be - and the more God is reminding me of it. He allows or arranges trials in order to test us - that we might see the weaknesses He already knows are there. He brings trying people into our lives so we can excercise forgiveness and, yes, patience. He lets us get snarled up in traffic so we can excercise forgiveness and, yes, patience. He sets us in excellent working conditions - except for the fellow worker in our office that is constantly distracting - so we can excercise forgiveness and, yes, patience.

As I was writing I began to realize I had a theme going. It's not just patience, it's forgiveness too. Being willing to let go of perceived wrongs or petty annoyances. Guess I've got work to do there too.

I gotta tell ya - I'm sure looking forward to that resurrection day when the trump resounds and the dead in Christ rise and we who are alive meet them in the air to ever be with the Lord! That day when I will be perfectly forgiving and perfectly patient at all times. Imagine never being annoyed at anything. Never taking an unintended slight personally. Never getting *stuck* in traffic. Always knowing that where you are and what you are doing and even thinking is exactly where you are supposed to be and what you are supposed to be doing and thinking and that you are pleasing God at ALL times!!!! I, for one, can't wait! :-)