Patience is not a virtue our culture values. When we are young, we long to be grown. When we are grown, we long to be settled. When we are settled, we long to be secure. When we are secure, we long to be wise. When we are wise, we long to be heard.
When we are impatient with ourselves and those we love, might it be because we have lost sight of the wonder God has created all around us? Might we have been wound too tight by this world of ours, with all its expectations and demands?
Unwind us, God, so we might have the vision to see this beauty. Usher us into a world that is longer and broader than the next hour or year or even lifetime. With your help, God, we might prune our busy-ness so we can honor the stages you have made so holy, to relish and embrace them.
This message is adapted from “Holy Time, Holy Patience” written by Catherine Malotky in the December 2005 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.