Patience

Be anxious for nothing. That’s what we are advised by the good book (Phil 4:6).

Sounds pretty easy, right? Isn’t it interesting that the simplest of instructions for our lives present the greatest of challenges?

Patience has not come easy for me. I remember being a strong-willed child (surprise, surprise!), who was described as being a good friend but sometimes bossy (imagine that!). As I think back, many a tattle-tale would run to my mother and father and say, “Candice won’t let me…..” Well, old habits obviously die hard or not at all! As a result of how I was nurtured as a child, I don’t take a lot of or really ANY BS, I am not afraid to speak my mind and defending my position? Lately, I have been wondering how I didn’t become an attorney since I actually GAIN energy and momentum from “proving my point”!! Well, HR….Legal…same difference. A necessary evil and a thankless job…I digress!

So what does this have to do with the topic of our blog-ersation? (Clever – I just made that up! Hope I didn’t steal that from anyone!!) Well, it has a LOT to with patience, or the inability to have much. Because I have been “conditioned” so to speak, to be ME; it has been somewhat difficult in many ways to let others be themselves – especially when it doesn’t line up with or make sense to ME.

I have been working on this patience thing and it is definitely easier in some instances than others. I can, at a high level, testify that my patience, for example – in dealing with a serious work matter over the last year and a half has resulted in a fairly decent outcome or at least one that I think is reasonable. Only time will really tell and since we ARE talking about Corp. America, I have learned the hard way on more than one occasion to manage my expectations as it relates to work matters! On a personal level, those who know me and what I am going through as a result of my divorce, know it is taking a red-sea parting, water-to-wine type MIRACLE to maintain patience, focus and a level head! For the most part, I have slowly but surely begun to loosen the reigns, let go and let God be God.

Patience.

Dealing with the people in our lives – from family members to friends and everyone in between requires patience.

Maintaining our composure and professional disposition at work when we want to snap the BLEEP off requires what? Patience.

Even dealing with various situations in our lives- whether personal or professional, requires a level of patience and humility. I am often in awe at my ability to SLOW DOWN and press the pause button. The nice thing about God is, if you haven’t GOTTEN it yet, oh, He will much oblige you give you PLENTY of opportunity to perfect an area of your life that NEEDS perfecting. They say practice makes perfect and trust me when I tell you that in THIS area, a sistah is getting MAD PRATICE! Can I get a witness up in here?!?

So, as I close and call it a night – finally, at 1:13 AM, I encourage you to join me in perfecting patience in your life. The rest of that scripture; indeed another of my favorites and one that I stand on regularly – especially when faced with the “opportunity” to show myself strong to God in this area of patience – goes like this for those who are unfamiliar:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7

What a wonderful Father we serve – who will, at OUR choice, give us perfect peace if only we apply a level of patience in our lives! When I think about all the things I fretted and concerned myself about that wound up being “handled” by our Handler (God), I laugh at just how much time I wasted being concerned with matters God already had under control. He loves me AND you just that much that he wants us to have perfect peace that is beyond our natural ability to understand and He wants to guard our precious hearts and minds. How awesome!

On that note, I am going to sleep.

Patiently and….

… peacefully.

Good night and sweet, peaceful dreams!