Tag: patience

Patience: My Problem with God

 

I have a confession to make. I am very impatient. For example, please don’t pull out in front of me while driving on the road, then slow down. And whatever else you do, please, at the grocery checkout counter, do not take out your checkbook to pay the bill. I struggle with biblical commands in Galatians 5 to exhibit patience as the fruit of The Spirit or my responsibility to exhibit patient endurance during suffering, according to 1 Peter 2.

My real problem is that as much as I believe in God’s sovereignty, I don’t always like it. I struggle with God’s plans, His wisdom, His ways, His schedule, His will for my life. In essence, my problem with patience is my problem with God. But what is ironic is how much God has been patient with me! Romans 2 says God has exhibited kindness, forbearance, and patience toward me. Jesus tells the story of the merciful, patient king in Matthew 18 who forgave his servant. But often, I find myself in the second half of that story where the one who is forgiven does not forgive another who owes him. Colossians 3 says that God’s forgiveness of my sin should result in me showing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience toward others.

24 Hours to Hell and Back

 

Gordon Ramsay may be a master chef, but he greatly overrates his own expertise in helping struggling businesses recover. The tragedy is that no one wins in these encounters, and he demonstrates the delusions that emerge from his arrogance.

Ramsay is known for his nasty temper as a master chef, although he shows his ability to charm people in another show as he travels internationally to learn the cuisine of other countries. The irony is that in that show he allows at least a week to pick up the basic knowledge and techniques of that country.

But a few years ago, he decided that he could also rescue troubled restaurants with the expertise he’d acquired in running his own businesses and creating successful menus. I was spared watching this most recent production, “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back,” until recently; apparently the producers decide season by season whether to renew his contract.

Turning a Corner: the Road to Healing

 

Life does not unfold in a straight line: it meanders, stops us in our tracks, surprises us, delights us, and frustrates us. Anyone who thinks he or she can control his or her life is wildly misguided. (That’s one reason why you see so many angry Leftists.) When we come to terms with the unexpected appearing in our lives is when we can appreciate the entire process as a whole.

This discovery is not new for me. I seem doomed to learn this lesson, over and over again. That’s okay; I assume that each time I learn more about riding the rapids, the better I will ride my way through them the next time. But I’m also aware that I will never fully conquer them; life (or G-d) has a mind of its own.

When the Body Falls Apart

 

When we are children, we delight in running around, making forts out of huge cardboard boxes, and playing hide-and-seek. In ourteen-age years, some of us struggle with puberty and hate the world and prefer to drive a car than ride our bicycles. And then there are all those years when we simply pursue our lives, either investing our time and energy in the routine demands of living and in staying well and healthy—or not.

But at some point, mortality sneaks up and we realize that our bodies are wearing away and falling apart. I became acutely aware in my 30’s that my body was not going to get itself in shape on its own. So I decided to take seriously the effects of the passage of time.

When did the truth of mortality’s stalking occur to me especially hard? Right now, as I recover from breast cancer. It’s been nagging at my psyche for quite a while. At 71, I have many fewer years left than I’ve used up. But six months ago, my predictable lifestyle of the joys of retirement, regular exercise and diet was interrupted. And I had no idea how challenging it would be to work my way back.

Member Post

 

In a few more days I will have finished the last three-week cycle of my chemotherapy. This particular infusion was by far the most difficult, although the doctors assured me that each infusion would be about the same, with perhaps different symptoms showing up. But I don’t want to dwell on difficulties. It’s so easy […]

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When we look ahead at the next four years under a Biden Administration, it’s easy to be discouraged and angry at the prospects. We know that nearly everything that Trump has accomplished will be co-opted as a Biden victory. We understand that the economy will suffer, people will lose jobs, more businesses will close and […]

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Way back when President Ronald Reagan was dealing with the Soviet Union, trying to get them to break down the barriers of communism, he made the statement, “Trust, but verify.” At the time, I was dubious not just about the collapse of the U.S.S.R., but also of the President’s statement. Trust isn’t something to be […]

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In my family fly fishing isn’t a hobby, and it isn’t a sport. In my family fly fishing is a religion. I, however, am the family heretic. It’s not just that I find fly fishing dull (which it is). I’ve just never figured out how to do it. Plus, it seems silly to me, what […]

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