Patience

.. . . these are the ones who, when they hear the word [of God] hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance. -Luke 8:15

Infinite patience produces immediate results -from A course in Miracles

Both of these quotes address what is perhaps an attribute which many of us lack-patience. I hear more people wishing for patience than perhaps anything else. This desire for patience arises in a conversation when we are usually discussing issues around work and family. It often has to do with wanting to have something in our time rather than the time it will take for the topic in question to mature.

Several years ago a parishioner was telling me about their little boy. It seems the child was eager to plant a garden. Among those things he planted were radishes. As the first green leaves of the radish plants began to sprout, the little boy got very excited. His patience began to wane as he awaited the plant's further emergence. When it did not happen in his time, he started pulling on the leaves. He pulled so hard that the tender plant came up with no radishes on the end.

There is an Oriental proverb which says, With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown. It the throes of wanting our children to hurry up, we would do well to remember this. Like the plant we place in the ground some things by nature are geared to their own time rather than ours.

Jesus was talking about the patient endurance of nurturing our faith. The statement is drawn from his parable about the farmer who planted seeds. Sometimes we treat our faith like the little boy treated his radish. We want a stronger faith and as soon as we begin to see it emerge we believe it ought to be ready for anything that comes our way. So we stop feeding it and when the winds and rains of challenge and doubt assail us, there is nothing there to sustain us.

The playwright was essentially saying the same thing though it sounds quite contradictory on the surface. Infinite patience continues to build a reservoir of patience such that when the challenge comes we have the immediate reserves to draw from in order to meet them. Like plants, faith needs an enduring patience that feeds it daily if it is to bear the kind of fruit we need in tougher times.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, may I allow sufficient time today to nourish my faith with prayer and reflection that I may have the faith needed for the challenges of life. In the name of Christ. Amen.

Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana