Patience

I have always said patience is a virtue, one I don’t have. Then I heard a message that Patience is a fruit of the Spirit and that the seed is planted in me already. Although I know it is in me, I never pray for it to grow because that means it will have to be tested.

The other day, I was told my car would be ready in about forty-five minutes, and there were no other cars in line. I intentionally waited thirty minutes before even beginning grocery shopping. So I was pretty upset when I got there an hour and a half later and they were still working on my car. So I sat down in the waiting room and made my normal comment about being inpatient.

My youngest reminded me that patience is a fruit of the Spirit. I said I wasn’t being negative (although I was) that I was just tired of waiting. Waiting on the car, waiting on the Cobra to go through for the kids’ orthodontists appointments, waiting on the mortgage company to release the funds for our roof to be repaired, waiting for my husband to get a job, waiting for a job to come open at the hospital, waiting on the check, waiting, waiting and waiting.

My daughter told me that God wanted me to have something but because of my impatience I was keeping God from giving it to me. I thought about it, and I threw my hands up in surrender and declared loudly “Okay God I surrender. I am okay with the wait. Teach me what I need to learn to get past this.”

Call it a coincidence, I call it a God thing – my daughter started laughing.  My car drove out of the garage at that exact moment. Great story even if it ended there – but you know God, He does things 100%!

The next day before I went to work I called the Cobra Company, our insurance paperwork finally went through. We needed to make a payment but it shows approved in the system!

Then, I was driving home from work and I called the mortgage company. Brett answered. I gave him the same talk I had given the other fifty people I talked to every day for the past month before that.  He gave me the number to the right person to fix my problem – the number that did not exist for the other people I talked to. So by the end of last week I got the message that the funds would be released for our roof repairs by Thursday of this week!!! In addition, the lady also restructured our loan and brought it up to date with lower payments.

Today Tim got a job, in his field!

I learned last week that a new job should come open in mid-July at the hospital and everyone is asking me if I will apply!

And last, but not least. I have been waiting to get paid from one of my vendors and well – the check came in the mail!

I praise God that He let my car be late.   I praise God that He gave my daughter the wisdom to say what she did.  I praise God that He gave me the ability to give it up, and that He gets all the glory and honor and praise for it!