It has been said that if you pray for patience an abundance of incidents for which patience is required will smite you. But what if you don't pray for patience! I thought I was being oh so wily by asking only when I needed patience. I was asking from the storehouse of grace. I have no desire to be attacked with opportunities to be patient, so I wasn't asking that the virtue of patience be developed within me. Why that would be a faith of works.
I don't really believe that. I was just lazy and working on other virtues. And I sorely underestimated my need for patience.
Now we have Twiddlepants-the-Toddler. Who, as her name indicates, spends her day twiddling--usually in simple, easy ways that just slightly aggravate me. But simple, small aggravations build to crushing strength. And I find that crying for patience from the storehouse of grace is not enough for the everyday twiddling that occurs. I must practice the virtue of patience as an outpouring of my love for Christ and as an outpouring of love and grace for Twiddlepants-the-Toddler. And I must continue crying for God's grace as an example of how to live well.
I don't pray for patience anymore either. I find myself in instances that require my perseverance nonetheless. And most times it is child-related. Surprise. :)
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