This morning I was channel surfing when I ran across a morning Bible lesson by Gloria Copeland. The topic was the need to have patience. Well, patience in addition to faith. I used to be really good at waiting. In fact, it seems as if I have spent my life in a perennial state of it. I told God, in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner, if this is supposed to be making me better at patience, it's not working. I used to be really good at this, so what has happened?
So what have I had to wait for in my world? The first thing was to get into school. I'm one of those weird kids that actually liked going to the brick schoolhouse to learn. Then there was waiting for my Dad to return from World War II. And how lucky I was that he actually did come home. Graduating from high school was the next big hurdle. Then, getting married and waiting for children to start coming. One of the biggest was waiting for my ex to finish three degrees. That had to happen for "life to begin". At least it felt that way even though I was living large throughout the wait. It's certainly the reason I had to wait for a house.
I may be the world's expert at beauty salon's, dentist's and doctor's offices, auto repair shops. A lady sat down beside me in one shop and began instructing me that she wouldn't wait more than half an hour for them to get her oil change finished. But just put a good book in my hands and I can tune out screaming children, clanking metal and beauty salon gossip. The latter was restricted to my ex's hometown where his cousin owned the shop. I actually knew some of the people mentioned in that small town.
But, still, even in retirement I have had to wait. For what? Today, October 31, 2013, I have waited exactly one month for the place I live to get here for my annual indoor inspection. That shouldn't matter much, should it? One wouldn't think it should. However, it means I have to set the alarm early and get myself groomed and dressed before office hours. Then I am stuck inside the house, also during office hours, for the duration. There are days it feels like they have forgotten I exist, but I guess not. The company they have hired to inspect the furnaces was in the neighborhood yesterday. So I continue to wait and wait and wait.
You might wonder at the insanity of sitting here with "patience exuding" for their arrival, but you probably haven't read my blog if you do. I've come home many times to find drawers standing wide open, closets riffled through and items missing. There were no signs of breaking and entering. They've changed my locks and people still rummage through my stuff. A company employee was actually convicted of pawning items from the apartments. They promised they had taken pass keys away from the staff (well, they actually lied and said they hadn't used pass keys since the days of long keys). Then I witnessed a staff member using a pass key to let a neighbor into her apartment on the weekend. The pilfering and the lying about the pilfering are never ending. I'm certainly not leaving when they actually have legal permission to enter. No knowing what havoc that would create.
Then there is the interim waiting because my son is sick. Bless his sweet soul, he just had to come home and expose me to the flue. He is currently ensconced on my couch, changing my channels if I leave the room and quarreling with me about my choice of programs. I can't take a nap or clean in there until he is well and returns to work. How long, oh Lord?
But God wants me to be patient and wait with faith. So, I'll try once more. Did I mention, one of the things I'm supposed to be patient about I've been waiting for about nine and a half years?
How patient is patient enough for you God? I guess I'm going to learn. And I have faith that all will turn out well in the end.
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