Patience Part 1--My Life

In regard to my observation of students, my own life, my family setting & the culture around me as I see it I have a few posts on patience...here we go.

Patience isn't a lost art...just not a great habit

Lemme use my own life as an example.  If I pull up to a Starbucks to grab a coffee and I see more than 4 people in line something in me says "oh man this won't go quickly".  So I then tried something, I timed how long it would take with more than 4 people in line compared to 2 or less people in line.   

The difference I saw in the same day at the same Starbucks location (because all good experiments need a constant right)?

3 minutes!

People I am a sick creature if I cannot pause my mind for 3 extra minutes to wait for a coffee I really want.

Second example;  It isn't uncommon for me to have 6+ windows open on my MacBook Pro (yes I know I am loved by Jesus cause I use an Apple).  With those window's open I am often moving from my Calendar, to a project list, to a Bible app, to several other things-I am constantly moving.  In that moving I become focussed on the work I need to get done on my time-frame.  Nothing wrong with being efficient & effective, but when I get a phone call from someone I love dearly & my attention is strained on a task & a person....the person will always lose out.  That creates relational pain.  When distractions don't allow words to be chosen carefully it can appear I just want brush someone off.  Truth of the matter is a digital screen cannot replace a human heart beat.

Again I have an issue if a task is more important than time given to a person.

But then I see the flip side in myself;

I find myself willing to sit and listen to a sermon on a podcast that I am enthralled with.  I find myself digging into the scriptures and I don't want to quit.  I am perfectly fine just sitting & reading and allowing God to nurture my soul.

I am great sitting on the side of a mountain or on a beach for HOURS to just watch & enjoy the creation of God.

So why does my life reflect an inconsistency with patience?

Because patience isn't a lost art....just not a great habit.  I need to be conscious about my patience levels in various moments.

Driving, dealing with my kids, conversations with people, time with my wife, time with God, standing in a line at Starbucks, Target or at Pedro's Tacos.  EVERYWHERE I need to be constantly developing the habit of patience.

Why?

Galatians 5 says patience is evidence of a relationship with Christ, Proverbs 16 says patience is better than power, Isaiah 7 shows that patience with God set-ups divine collisions between Christ & humanity.

I think the discipline of patience is close to the heart of Jesus...but that is another post.