Something To Think
About
Patience is more than a virtue .... When
I was a young boy, I'd always get frustrated walking out in public with
my father. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy spending time with Dad, but we
could never get across the street, out of the mall, or down the midway
without someone stopping to talk to him. Being a mechanic, he knew a
lot of people. Back then I swore Dad knew everyone. A simple trek from
one place to another could turn a five-minute walk into a. half-hour
journey. I'd lose patience, especially if I had somewhere to go.
There
are several stories in the Gospels that resemble such impatience. There
was this important man, Jairus - a leader of the synagogue - who
elbowed his way through the crowd to beg Jesus to come and save his
dying daughter. And Mark writes, "So Jesus went with Jairus" (5:24).
But
no more do they get on their way - the disciples acting like crowd
control officers - and the rush to the girl is stopped. Jairus had to
be thinking "Come on, Jesus, she's not long$ for this world." But a
woman crept up behind Jesus, so as to not bring attention to herself.
Then she reached out and touched his cloak. And for her it was a
courageous act of faith. She was immediately healed of twelve long
years of suffering.
Then Jesus stopped the emergency rush
to the little girl. He wanted to know who had reached out in faith. He
searches but cannot find her. "Time is wasting," mumbles Jairus. Even
the disciples get antsy, "Jesus, you've got hundreds of people around
you and you expect us to pick out the one person who touched you?" They
scan the crowd. Minutes are passing and that little daughter of Jairus
is waiting for a miracle. The healed woman owns up to her act of faith
and Jesus takes the time to bless her.
Patience is walking
through the "Okay, Jesus, let's get going to Jairus' house. No more
interruptions." But while walking$ down the dusty road, some people
race down to Jairus and tell him that it's too late. The girl is dead.
Maybe if Jesus had walked a little faster ... Or, if that woman had not
halted the procession ... Maybe he could have made it in time. But
Jesus basically ignores the death notice and claims the little girl is
only sleeping." By now Jairus' faith has to be wavering and his
patience worn thin. But Jesus takes the time to order everyone out of
the house. There's another good five or ten minutes wasted. He finally
gets everyone out except for the parents and three of his disciples. He
takes the twelve year-old girl by the hand and gently commands her to
rise. And immediately she was up about. Finally!
But the
impatience doesn't end there! After everyone settled down ... when all
the hugs and kisses had been exchanged and the tears wiped from their
eyes, Jesus strictly ordered Jairus and his wife and daughter to keep
this miracle a secret. Hush-hush. No one, absolutely no one is to know.
I can't imagine the impatience Jairus must have felt. There's a song by
Dan Francisco, "I've got to tell somebody," that evokes the impatience
of Jairus. He just has to tell somebody that Jesus has set his daughter
free.
Patience is one the seven virtues to be practiced by
Christians - along with purity, self-control, charity, diligence,
kindness, and humility. Patience is also known as peace, forbearance,
or endurance. It is more than just quietly standing-by or calmly
waiting for something to happen. Patience is resolving conflicts
peacefully rather than resorting to the quicker solution of violence.
Patience is given a person a second chance - or Jesus reminded Peter,
it's forgiving someone seventy times seven. Patience is showing mercy
to sinners. Patience is trusting that God will make a way. Patience is
believing that God's timing is not a clock to watch but a way of life
to trust.
I've seen the virtue of patience at work in the
lives of Christians who held their tongue when they had the perfect
comeback. There have been times when I've seen someone bow their head
in prayer for healing or strength long after they had made it clear
they had given up on God answering their prayers. Patience is thinking
before you speak. Patience is being slow to anger and not quick valley
of the shadow of death when you'd just as soon run and get it over
with. Patience is gathering up the courage to give love one more chance
to prove betrayal wrong in your marriage. Patience is listening to both
sides of the story and understanding the differences. Patience is
turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and loving your enemies.
I've
been a faithful fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates my whole life. The
Pirates just set a new record for the most consecutive losing seasons
(17). Holding on to them as my ball team is not patience as much as it
is ridiculous long-suffering. But I remember those magic years of 1971
and 1979 and what a thrill it was to experience the Pirates win it all.
Sometimes patience is the willingness to never let go of the memory of
a better past so as to keep us steady in the midst of a not-so-good
present.
It was patience that kept my mother going to
those dialysis treatments for 15 years. It was patience that kept my
father faithful as a dedicated caregiver and husband all those years.
It was patience that kept me going in the midst of some very difficult
times when I didn't see how I'd make it through some tough changes in
my life. And it was patience that led me to Diane.
There
are a lot of opinions, suggestions, and comments on what this church
needs right now. Some of them are good in that they might get us to a
better place in short fashion. But we might miss out on the blessings
there are in being patient (just ask the woman who touched the hem of
our Lord's garment). Patience is not a holy word for procrastination or
a do-nothing attitude. Patience is a virtue because it requires that we
think before we speak, that we pray before we decide, and that we
consider the will of God before we act.
May the Lord give
us all a larger portion of patience so that we may live in peace with
one another and work with mercy and forgiveness. If you're ever tempted
to give up on patience just remember what almost always happens to the
impatient driver behind you who peeks and honks and finally gets his
chance to pass by you and be on his way. And how when you pull up to
the stoplight a mile or two down the road, he's the one pounding the
steering wheel, not you.
I
n Christ,Pastor Todd
