Patience

Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time. Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner. Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! - James 5:7-10, The Message

Patience is a virtue, the phrase goes. Patience is bitter, but the fruit is sweet, said Aristotle. When is patience a virtue and under what circumstances is it appropriate to advise patience over action? When does patience become oppressive?

In this passage, the author is adamant about being patient, like the farmer, who trusts the rain to do its "slow but sure work."

We are nearing the end of Advent, but the beginning of so much more. It's hard to wait, especially when the world isn't as God intended it to be. When nations continue to war, people continue to oppress, hunger and poverty continue to find victims.

I once found a quote that said, "Sometimes patience isn't a virtue."  As I've mentioned before, some of the prompts drive me a bit crazy as this one does.  Often, I wish I was a more patient person, but I'm really not, at all.  Sometimes, we shouldn't be patient.  We shouldn't sit back and wait.  As we listened to Maya Angelou's poem, His Day is Done, we talked about the fact that unfortunately racism and poverty still exist.  One white student earnestly asked, "Where is there racism?"  Without trying to offend the student who asked the question or further rile the black student who was sitting next to me, we had a conversation about racism in our school, overt and covert.  Racism and poverty are problems in our country, and we should be active instead of patient.

Today I went to get the walking boot that the doctor prescribed on Tuesday.  After doing a little research about my injury, I decided it would be a positive decision.  When I wear it, the pain is truly lessoned, but it's awkward.  I may even walk more slowly than I did without it.  On Tuesday the doctor said it could take six to eight weeks to heal, and I didn't believe him.  My research agreed with the doctor.  This is going to be extremely difficult because I'm not patient, and a month is a long time.  Although sometimes patience isn't a virtue, sometimes I wish I had more.