a lesson in patience
what my nephew taught me about waiting
my nephew is 14 months old, and i’m happy to be a huge part of his daily life. i’m currently staying with my sister due to a recent relocation — at least until i get my footing and understand my new environment.
i love him, and most importantly, his parents love him. it’s hard to find a parent who doesn’t love their child, you know?
kids are a joy to be with, most of the time, especially when you’re not saddled with caring for them. but even if you are, you still love them regardless.
and my nephew, just like all toddlers, can be difficult to deal with sometimes. one repeating scenario comes to mind.
my nephew wails and screams — especially when feeding time is near. you’d be preparing his meal, and that’s when you’d be met with the most hostility. the same thing happens with his parents. crazy, right? i mean, in just a few minutes, the meal would be his…
almost every adult would agree with me on how irrational that seems. but after some thought, i realized — that’s exactly how many of us are with god. we wail and cry when our needs and wants aren’t met. sometimes, even when we can see that the blessing is in the works — just like when my nephew’s meal is being prepared — we still get impatient. if only we exercised a little more patience, we would receive it in full.
back to my nephew…
i’ve seen his parents give him a half-mixed milkshake because he just wouldn’t wait for a proper mix, or serve him slightly hot food because he wouldn’t wait for it to cool down. and then i wonder — how many times have we received half-baked blessings because, like my nephew, we failed to wait patiently?
the good thing is, even when my nephew gets a half-mixed drink or slightly hot food, he still gets what he wants and needs — just with a minor consequence. sometimes, he learns his lesson when he juggles hot food in his mouth.
like his parents, god wouldn’t give us blessings that would truly harm us — only those that might teach us something valuable. no matter how impatient we get, he loves us too much to give us something that would destroy us. and isn’t that a relief? if our earthly parents love us that much, then how much more does god love us?
which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? matthew 7:9–10.
if you’ve read up to this point and still haven’t gotten the moral of the story, let me share mine with you — learn to trust god. learn to read the signs. if you’re putting in the work for your blessings, rest assured they are being prepared. do not whine or grumble, for surely, you shall receive them.
the blessing of the lord makes one rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. proverbs 10:22.
having done all to stand, stand therefore. ephesians 6:13
