Hello,
I live about 25
miles from the church that I serve. The
quickest route is a winding two lane road over the ridge that rises between my
house and my work. Because the road
twists and turns there is not one inch where passing is allowed. That means that if I get behind a slow moving
vehicle, there is nothing that I can do about it, but dig deep for patience.
One day last week
I was making my way to work, needing to be there in time for pre-school
chapel. It normally takes me about 30
minutes to make my commute, but knowing the potential for additional time, I
left 45 minutes before I needed to be there.
Sure enough, as soon as I got on the road I found myself behind two
pick-up trucks in no hurry going 25-30 miles an hour. Patience!
I breathed a sigh
of relief when they turned off on one of the few crossroads, and quickly geared
up my car (a Mini Cooper) to the 45 miles per hour that is permissible (ok….I
geared it up a “little” higher). I had
only traveled about a quarter mile when I came around a bend and found myself
behind a very slow moving salt truck whose upmost speed was 20 miles per
hour. I was a bit mystified as to why
this salt truck was on my road, because it had not just recently snowed and the
road was clear. Nevertheless, there it
was moving at snail’s pace. Patience!
On its tail, the
truck and I wound around the last bend over the ridge, and suddenly it came to
a complete stop! I soon discovered the
reason for stop. A yellow caution tape
had been stretched across the road. I
sat in my car wondering what the reason for the caution tape might have been,
when out of the truck stepped a man who turned toward me and started circling
his index finger in the air signally me to turn around and go back from where I
had come. Patience!
So, I did a
three-point turn-about and headed back up the ridge, five or six miles back to
a cross road that I had never taken but hoped would provide an alternate way to
work. The road that I took sent me
through residential areas, gravel roads which mandated slow and cautious
travel. Finally, I wound up on a “major”
road that I knew would take me to Greensburg, although not very directly and
made my way to the church…..too late for the pre-school chapel which I had
aimed to lead. Patience!
In truth, it was
just a delayed commute to work which although aggravating was not a monumental
life crisis. When, however, when this
sort of thing happens in life, it is far from mere aggravation. When one is awaiting test results over a
newly found tumor, the slow pace of the answers is exasperating. When one is fighting an addiction, and just
when you think you see some light, running up against a fall back into
addiction’s grip is disheartening. When
family life is tough and work toward peace in one’s home is sluggishly slow,
and then something happens like a caution tape blocking your way, saying you
have to turn around and go back and take another road it can be soul sapping.
At these times in
life, I find myself joining the voices of the Bible who say, “How long, O Lord?” Give me patience!
28 Have you
not known? Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)
These words are the seeds from which I see patience sprouting in my life…..patience when I need it the most.
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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