POSITIVE IMPATIENCE

It’s almost midnight and I am seated on my bed after fruitlessly tossing and turning trying to get some sleep. The ticking wristwatch by the bed side is the only sound I can hear apart from the sound of a stubborn mosquito continuously buzzing around the mosquito repellant net.

Having waited in great anticipation for a reply to a text, I can assure you I was dying inside. It does feel terrible waiting for something you have no control over and can do nothing about. Thus at this point, I went back to my ideological stand that at times patience has its negative side when there is little you can do to avert a not so pleasing situation.

I have been at war with myself and with Patience my dearest friend. God being who He is demands patience from His children but at times I think He calls on us to play our part. I remember coming across an illustrated caption of a man beseeching and weeping to Jesus" Lord Jesus, please help me win the lottery....." For days he would come to the church very early in the morning to tell God of his dearest desire then wait PATIENTLY the whole day for the miracle. This went on for days and months but nothing happened. He remained broke doing nothing but waiting PATIENTLY for a miracle. Then one day, the pastor having noted this repeated tendency, waited for his faithful believer to say his usual prayer then he asked him if there was anything that he could do to help. The poor man broke down into uncontrollable sobs crying and complaining of how God had forsaken him. For a whole year he had been coming to say his prayer but God has always turned a deaf ear to his request.

After listening to the man's side of the story all the pastor could say was" But you haven’t bought a lottery ticket yet, have you?" The old fellow left the church with his head bowed down in disappointment. From his encounter with the pastor, it appeared to him that the whole world had conspired to ensure that he dies a miserable man.

How many of us have been in such a situation? I have. Patience is a positive thing. In fact it’s a virtue biblically speaking. Its unfortunate impatience is a part of the majority of us. But don’t you agree that there could be a positive side of the perceived negativity?

I am aware the following phrase generates heated debates among some groups of people “God helps those who help themselves” I do believe that God expects us to totally trust in Him and in His providence. I also believe that God is willing and always ready to help his children in everything. But how come that despite the regular church attendance, endless prayers and cries to God, some people still remain miserably poor while others are stinking rich? Does this make God an unjust father?

I would have responded that I don’t know but apparently my mind denies me the pleasure of saying so. Why is it that people attending the same colleges end up on different achievement scales over a period of time? Why is it that some siblings brought up in the same family by the same parents end up on the opposite sides of the social-economical standings divide? I would have said that fate predestined it that way. But I don’t want to be a false sympathizer.

While some sit and PATIENTLY wait for the rains before they can plough their land, others are IMPATIENTLY looking for tractors and seeds in readiness for the rains. It’s all in the act of living your life playing your part and leaving the rest, that is beyond your control to God.

Do we expect God to do the planting? I am sure God would love a farmer who PATIENTLY waits for the rains after having ploughed his land. Patience is for those who have bought the lottery ticket.

This reminds me of my high school years. Normally, we used to have optional morning prayers in the school chapel. As usual, many final year students would hardly miss these prayers. Having noted the trend, the school chaplain would tell us, “ …prayers are good for the sake of our general well-being but as far as sitting exams are concerned, it’s a question of how well you prepared yourself…”

Let us wait for God’s blessings this New Year after we have bought the lottery ticket.