PATIENCE – DEVOTIONAL
Howdy Friends! I’d gone up to Grandpop’s outfit to gather myself. Maybe blow off a little steam. But probably mostly for the love. And guidance, too.
Found Grandpop trimming hooves. I thought he’d given that up and hired a fellow to do that.
“You still trimming? I thought those days were behind you.” I walked through the big barn door, far enough inside to get out of the sun.
“Ah well, you know how it goes.” After a chuckle he added, “Or don’t … What brings you to the wild country in the middle of the week?”
“It’s Saturday, Grandpop.”
Grandpop let the gelding rest its leg, and leaned up against him. “No kiddin? How about that – how’d that happen so quick.” He wiped the sweat from his face. “What’s eatin’ at ya Son?”
“How do you know anything is?”
“Ya got that look.”
“What look?”
“That look ya always got since ya was about five when ya was frustrated.”
“Oh.”
Grandpop made a show of brushing off the straw bale to sit down. I paced the barn isle. Making big circles around the gelding.
“Well, there is one thing I’m wrestling with.”
“Only one? By golly you have it made.” Grandpop laughed right out loud.
“Yeah, funny to you. Not so funny to me.” I made two more laps around the horse. “I’m supposed to just hold my peace while others around me in the company take their good old time getting done. It boxes me in a corner because I can’t do my work until they finish theirs. Happens every project.”
“Sounds rough.”
“It’s lousy. Gets me all stressed and wound up.”
“I can see that from here!” Grandpop laughed.
“It’s no joke. It wears on me. Tires me out.”
“Anything you can do to hurry ‘em along?”
“That’s the problem. There is nothing I can do in their departments. Except wait for them.”
“Well Son, could be their jobs are tougher than you know from your angle. Could be they’re wrestlin’ with their own slow pokes and this an that. We never know what the other fella’s dealin’ with.”
“That’s true. But it doesn’t help me on my end.”
“Gotta have patience Son.”
“Patience?”
“We can’t always move things along at our pace. That’s just the deal. So we polish up a thing called patience and wait it out. Of course we should be usin’ that extra time God gives us wisely in the meantime.”
“Wisely.” I really wanted to stamp my feet.
“Wisely is the opposite of foolishly.”
“No kidding.”
“Patience. With practice it’ll get ya through. God even gives us a hint.” Grandpop chuckled again. “He’s dang sure patient with us ain’t He?”
I had to admit, the old man had me there.
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Bible Verse – Proverbs 19:11 –“A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”
Bible Verse – Proverbs 16:32 – “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.”
Bible Verse – Proverbs 14:29 – “Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.”
Bible Verse – Ecclesiastes 7:8 – “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.”
Bible Verse – Colossians 3:12 –“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”
Bible Verse – Ephesians – 4:2“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Bible Verse – Proverbs – 15:18“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.”
Bible Verse – James 5:7-8 – “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.”
Bible Verse – 1 Thessalonians 5:14 -“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”
