Patience….so many things in life require it, but at times it feels like it’s running out, not a drop left and still no breakthrough.
What’s a person to do when, like that last little bit of toothpaste, you’ve pushed, squeezed, twisted, and forced every last ounce of patience, yet still need more?
Patience is a virtue, but unlike the latest gadget I find on the internet, patience is much more elusive and often hard to come by.
One simple strategy does seem to help however…..having a clear, definitive picture of exactly what it is I’m waiting for — the PRIZE.
When I take my eyes off the angst of the wait and set them on the prize, I get a forward-looking, future-hoping, fulfillment-planning view on what is yet to come. At times this exercise feels a bit fake or unrealistic, when contrary facts seem to be screaming all around. Still, deciding to trust, believe, and watch for the things I desire, fixing them clearly in my mind, does deposit patience, much like a marathon pushes a training routine forward.
Patience in many respects, is the art of hoping. And hope is a choice, not a feeling. I choose to be a woman of hope because it’s better than being a hopeless woman full of despair. Fortunately, I don’t have to be patient for everything all at once. While waiting for one thing I can achieve another:
- Waiting for a promotion I pursued outside-of-work volunteering where I was promoted quickly
- Waiting to get a raise I learned the art of feeling rich on a dime, an art I’ve never lost
- Waiting for a husband I traveled the world, pursued my career, discovered surprise gifts I didn’t know I’d love
- Waiting for children I mentored others, and the skills of motherhood grew in my own life
In short, I may be stopped at a red light but I can put on lipstick.
Knowing I need patience, I agree to let it work into my being as I hold to the prize yet to come. I will wait. I will not compromise. I cannot control timing but I can position myself to be ready, poised, and positioned to receive in God’s perfect time.
“Toned and buff” by patience, a lovely aspiration indeed.
