Patience
Living Liberty Today with Charlie Earl
‘Patience’ should be plastered on every milk carton in the nation. Three minutes to cook a meal in the microwave has become normal even with all the attendant health risks. Patience has become a rare virtue in our instant gratification society. Admittedly, I have struggled for my entire life to develop a more patient approach with some success in my later years.
This column was prompted by the innumerable number of ads and commercials for injectable weight loss (GLP-1) that are rampant on our media. Diets, Weight Watchers, fitness gurus, and all the previous generations of weight loss ‘experts’ are now in a quandary because their plans for long term weight control have apparently been trumped by the near instantaneous effects of a ‘shot.’ For those who have struggled with weight-based issues whether real or socially impacted, the injection regime must be a dream come true. No longer forced to endure the long term and often fruitless plans, the customers can now impatiently find near instant results. The fine print of the ads do suggest that the injectables work best with proper diet and exercise…in other words, just like the older plans. We do not know yet all the potential side effects from using GLP-1’s, but I suspect we may discover that impatience could ultimately be harmful.
‘Road Rage’ is another fallout from a lack of patience. One may sit in his/her vehicle and feel trapped in an annoying or frustrating circumstance. I assume that other factors are at play with the rage induced driver, and she/he carries those issues with them as they merge into traffic. With the practice of patience development techniques, the angry motorist might avoid damages or even arrest. It’s possible, too, that if one is not patient, one could become a patient.
Indeed, time is a valuable commodity for many of us, but a lack of patience often ensures that our initial efforts are inadequate and must be repaired or repeated. As my late father used to say, “Take your time and do it right the first time, or you have to do it again.” Here are some clues about our cultural impatience: “Jiffy Lube, Quick Books, fast food, use the app, no waiting, and the famous Las Vegas Wedding Chapels.”
When we develop and employ patience, we have time to ponder the situation and perceive potential remedies for dealing with it. As the late Ricky Nelson sang, “Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread.”
. As a consequence, we make better decisions and have more favorable reactions to our circumstances.
Throughout Scripture we can find many references to patience and its value.
"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." – Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)
Romans 8: 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Again, our time on earth is short, take time and be patient.
Psalm 90: 10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Until next week, God willing, I remain patiently yours.