Slow down, you move too fast!

Honk, honk, honk; "It's the pedal on the right, lady!" Seems like patience is in short supply much of the time, but especially around the holidays. Streets are backed up, parking lots are jammed, lines in the stores take what seems like forever. Nothing moves fast enough, not the traffic, the people in front of us, our computers, or anything else. There is too much to do and too little time to do it in, so our patience grows incredibly thin and we find ourselves irritated and snapping at everyone and everything.

In all the hustle and bustle, it's easy to lose sight of the things that are really important. Instead of snapping at the people around me because they are in my way and slowing me down, maybe I need to slow down, take a deep breath, and look at why I am doing so many things. Are these things that important? What is it that matters the most? What would happen if I did not do everything that is on my to-do list?

When I finally stop and look at things, I realize that what matters the most in life are the people whom I love and who love me. If what I am doing in an effort to accomplish one more thing causes me to lose sight of that or to become impatient, I have lost perspective and have become caught up in the tyranny of the urgent. Trying to do too much in too little time is a trap that I do not want to fall into any more; paring my "list" down to what is important can free me to love more deeply and help me develop the patience I need.

Patience is one of the fruits, the signs, that the Spirit of God is at work within us. It is a gift of love that we give to the people around us. I have seen the difference it makes on a store clerk or restaurant server when I am patient with them instead of being impatient, and I know what a difference it makes for me when patience is shown to me. Patience says, "You're okay, I'm with you." A little patience shown makes a tough day a little easier, and we all need that at times. I thank God that he has been patient with me. There are times I feel like I will never be very good at following Jesus, but because of his love, he patiently waits for me to catch up with where he is leading.

December 17, 2007