PATIENCE.
Noun; the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
Patience…a word that is easily understood but so hard to implement on a consistent basis in our day-to-day lives. When some people run into an ‘obstacle’ that delays their “greater goal” (could be anything…you’re probably already thinking of something), they seem to get upset and might give up or lose that motivation they had previously. I’ll admit it, I get stuck in these ruts sometimes but always seem to find a way back to as close as a ‘level head’ as possible. For me, my ‘faith’ in Christianity and knowing that I’m just merely doing my best always having a ‘listening ear’ on what God wants me to do.
For my “Non-Believers”, I know what you’re probably thinking…”Here we go again with this GOD stuff…”, “GOD doesn’t exist..I have total control over my life and actions”, “What if there isn’t a god at the end?”. I totally get it…I was there. These are all valid questions that create for excellent dialogue. In dialogue, I don’t mean the forcing of mindsets/”evangelization”…that’s not okay. Before I go a little further, I want to just mention a thought whenever I see/hear this “You vs. Us”, “Saved vs. Unsaved”, etc…I always try to think…”What would Jesus do in that situation?”. In those situations, I think Jesus would share his thoughts and wish the best for them and not stir up anger in them. I think this is an ideal model in how we go about talking about “hard topics” such as Religion, Politics, etc… (all the topics that people tell you not to talk).
Getting back where I left off, It’s good to question. I remember always asking a lot of questions of “why this…” and/or “what is that?”, etc. This exploration with your mind is so fruitful and lets you actually immerse yourself and make a choice based on what you’re feeling or called for. In my case…I questioned, felt confused a lot, and struggled. In the end though, I found the experience very comforting…which leads me back to PATIENCE.
Having the strength to go through trials/delays in your “goals” you want to achieve is definitely hard, but can be quelled in trying to find the positive and/or believing there is a ‘greater plan for you. As in the Bible verse above (Proverbs 3:5-6), give ‘everything you got’ (mentally at least) to God…and all things will work out in the end (Probably at a better time than you expected also). I believe that God always has the best intentions for us all, and that comforts me.
In my previous mind (Non-Religious), I always tried to find the ‘positives’ in times of delay. I can vividly remember when I was applying for Graduate schools in California while I was a Junior at the University of California – Santa Barbara (UCSB) and getting really discouraged that I was getting rejection after rejection…It hurt to read “We regret to inform you that…”. That’s all I had to read. I can remember that this process went on for a few months and I realized that rather than sitting moping on my rejections, just keep applying…SOMETHING will land. It did…but not till right after graduation. I remember getting a phone call saying I was accepted to Roger Williams University. The next day, I also received an ACCEPTANCE to Seton Hall University.
In my mind, I had nothing really holding me to my town I lived my life from 4th grade to college….and I was ready for the next chapter of my life. I accepted my offer for Roger Williams University and I was at peace and finally was able to take a ‘deep breath’ of relief. Long story short, I don’t know if I would’ve been in the ‘mental space’ if I got accepted to any of the California schools. Additionally, I would’ve never met awesome friends for life in Rhode Island, my girlfriend, and wouldn’t be at my current job either. Things end up working for the better….we just got to be PATIENT.
Just another chris 