Tick........Tock........Tick........Tock

Many years ago, I taught 7-12 grade English Language Arts. We were discussing concrete and abstract nouns. I told the students that time was abstract. When they asked why, I described how a great date could go by so fast, but the last 5 minutes before the bell rang seems to last a really long time. Waiting is hard, and waiting patiently is excruciatingly difficult.

Three weeks ago, my blood was flown to Oregon to be tested by a research facility that specializes in rare eye diseases and disorders. The lab's motto is to get the results in by two weeks. Ha....wrong. 

So many thoughts and fears can pass through your mind as you wait for the results. What happens if it isn't the auto-immune retinopathy? That leaves only one other option, and we don't want to say that word. What's taking so long????

Waiting teaches us patience. In the 14th Century, a poet said patience is a virtue, but I'm not feeling very virtuous at the moment.  Combined together patience and patient can be found almost 100 times in the Bible, depending on the version (i.e., NIV, ESV, KJV). If it's mentioned that much, it must be important,

Patience cannot be bought like candy and brought out when we need it. This fruit of the spirit can only happen when we are put in situations that test our patience and steadfastness. Just as exercising builds our stamina and strength, difficult times test and strengthen our patience,

While working on our patience, we should not sit still and let life happen around us, twiddling our thumbs and tapping our feet. We should be active in life, share our struggles and concerns, pray for others, and praise the Lord through every blessing, trial, and tribulation.

As Mike and I were driving home from dinner, an older song, "Praise the Lord," was playing on WDJC. The song was a reminder that I am not alone in this fight. The Evil One can sneak in and mess around with your feelings and fears. By praising our God, our Lord and Savior, we can put these negative feelings and fears to rest. By continuously praising, the waiting flies by, and patience becomes a little bit easier and a lot stronger.

Have a blessed evening,
P

Russ Taff's version: "Praise the Lord"  https://youtu.be/6iYC55-469U?si=WceuqKBN9qQXuuLu



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