OH! Patience

Lessons from Life, Monday, February 16, 2009

OH Patience!

“The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger and of great mercy.” ~Psalm 148:5 KJV~

This passage was in a Bible lesson I read today. There are times when I am quite compliant to what God and humans want me to do – following instruction and direction. Other times, I just want to wander down my own path, listening to my own voice.

Actually, there’s nothing wrong with that – it’s part of freedom – but I can’t always do that and keep a job, remain with my friends, or live in my apartment. I didn’t always want to be in the kind of work I’m currently doing. I thought I wanted to work with animals. In a Dept. of Rehabilitation workshop many years ago, one of the leaders had me help some of the other people. He noticed how patient I was with these people, who were quite a bit slower and not able to comprehend as well what was going on. It was this comment that made me change my major from Veterinary Technology to English and decide to work toward my Bachelor’s Degree.

I have come a long way from being a person locked in depression who could not even get up to take care of myself, although I did take care of my cats. When I look back on the road I’ve traveled, it was a difficult one, filled with some unpleasant experiences. Those days are over now and I have become a person I never expected to be, but the Lord knew and He was patient with me.

When I started writing this lesson tonight, I had no idea what I would write. I have become a patient person, although I wasn’t always one. It’s from having God and people be patient with me that I learned. Often times when I substitute in a classroom, several things will be going on at once. Yet, I’ve seen myself become very patient with not only myself and be able to take a breathe and handle it all, but be patient with the students in the class where I am substituting. That’s incredible!

My gratitude today is that the pain from having my bridge fall off is over – the procedure to put it back on was extremely painful; that I made it home before the rain fell harder, and that I made the soup I decided to cook. Also, that my God loves me without exception.

In His Never-ending Love, Michelle Rose