Patience is a Virtue

Jonathan: Come on Evey faster!

Evelyn: Patience is a virtue!

Rick O'Connell: Not right now it isn't! 

 

Why am I starting this post with a quote from The Mummy, besides that it is one of my many favorite quotes from that movie, and I couldn't figure out any other way to start it out. Sometimes I feel like life is the Evelyn character and I'm Rick because some days I just don't feel like patience is such a virtue and I ran out of my supply, or more accurately I just misplaced it and no amount of retracing my steps is helping me find it. Or just for the fun of it here's another analogy, it's like not wanting to go for a ride but someone promising they won't go that far and you'll be back in no time only for them to get you in the car and their version of a not long car ride includes going through multiple counties and stopping for all kinds of errands all while they ask if you care if they go/stop here and you give your best evil look all while saying nope. Life is the driver and you are the passenger that got lied to and now are in a ride you are wondering when it will stop for a much needed break that will get you back to where you want to be. So in the real life version of that, because that has totally happened to me, I don't really have much control over when the person takes me back home but in my hypothetical life as the driver I do have a bit more control although sometimes I think I forget that and let life take over and drive me around in circles while I'm over there in the passenger seat having lost all patience and just not seeing the whole picture or point to any of this. Then suddenly, perhaps while sitting at one of the red lights that are holding forever, it suddenly dawns on me that I started out as the driver on this ride to begin with and I can take back control anytime I want to so just before that light finally turns green I put my life back where it belongs and take back over driving duties. Like it says in the song Not Gonna Die by Skillet, when life pushes me I push harder what doesn't kill me makes me stronger. 

 

Looking at a situation and seeing many, many different possible scenarios can be a blessing and a curse, some days I'd lean mostly toward curse.  For example, back to the patience example. I reluctantly can admit that I don't have much patience so it easily can get buried by all those scenarios I come up with in a situation or all those frustrations that I keep bottled up so that even when I try to retrace my steps I have my patience so buried with junk that I can't find it. Usually that means I'll only find it when I've really lost my patience and then enough of that junk gets moved so I find my little treasure of patience where it had gotten buried and promise that I will put it in a safe place so I won't lose it again, only to often to have that cycle repeated at some point again in the future. It seems I can't ever find a decent enough place to keep my patience so it won't get buried and I can remember where it is. Although there are times that I can see what has happened and to try to prevent a true loss of my patience I'll try to muster up enough courage to bother one of the very, and I do mean very, few people I can kinda sorta just a little bit open up to and get just enough out of that pit so it's not so full and the risk of an unnecessary eruption can be avoided. 

So I guess after many not needed analogies and the like the point is that patience really is a virtue and in every situation it's worth one more look to find it and make sure you have enough before you face something, or someone and end up saying or doing something without enough thought or patience that you have to eat your words and apologize for the wrong that may have been done. Easier said than done I know as for me I know I'm going to mess up but I won't use that as an excuse to not try to be prepared and potentially avoid a mess up. And when all my steps and tries still aren't enough and I mess up I just try to quickly make it as right as possible, apologize etc and say, 'uh, it's me again God. You know that one thing I thought I could fix and do alright on my own with, well turns out I was wrong I still need your help and most importantly forgiveness for....' I was once told we're not perfect but we just keep asking God to help us and I have to remind myself of that a lot. And I guess that's all I got to say about that, I got to go find my patience before it gets buried any deeper!