Patience is a Key Ingredient
Embracing the Journey, not the Destination
I remember this moment clearly – almost as if someone knocked me down. It was July 17, 2017 at 12:40 p.m. The importantance of patience and how imperative it is to demonstrate this quality to our children and to others, brushed over me like a quiet storm.
Being a family of seven – with five young kids – I’ve become a master at whipping together quick lunches for everyone. It’s something I can do swiftly and without much thought. One day, I decided to bundle lunch prep and quality time with one of my children together. I let her aid me in creating a meal for our wonderful family. Having her help forced me to spend a multitude of time doing something that could typically be done in a matter of minutes. However, the race is not always for the swift. Before getting frustrated with the time invested in this kitchen chronicle, I caught myself.
The peaceful quiet that calmed the storm of my soul as I turned frustration into, patience was sobering. I centered my heart square on the goodness of our Lord. I thought, this was the very least that I could do for my beloved child. After all, I am the one who is of the multitude while she is not. My job is to model God’s goodness – not create an environment where I am constantly treating my precious as if she is in my way. This moment in time gifted me with an opportunity to truly demonstrate the fruits of the spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
There was so much more than food being prepared for our consumption in this moment. I simply had to stop and receive it and then, share it with my child. True, it did take longer to prepare lunch on this day, but this lunch became more meaningful than a lot of our others. My daughter had an encouraged sense of purpose in feeding the multitude – our family, and I benefitted just as much, if not more than my precious little child, thriving in this blended state of peace and patience.
In your spare time today, please read Matthew 14:13-21