The Season of Patience…


I’m a modest person. I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles to be entertained. Give me a couple of great books or a few classic movies to watch and I’ll be good for months. One of my other simple pleasures is to have long philosophical talks about life while sipping on a cup of green tea with friends. A good conversation can open up so many ideas, opinions and debates. The thought that this art is slowly being replaced by email and texting saddens me.

Since I am often in my head (I talk to myself a lot), these conversations can stay with me for weeks, months or even years depending on what’s happening in my life. Recently I recalled a conversation that I’d had a few years back with my girlfriend, Dannette about patience. It was one of those discussions about our hopes and dreams (career, finances, relationships) and how we were at a time in our lives where we wanted these dreams to manifest; and like most people we wanted them… now.

This also led us to the meaning of being faithful which brought us to the word, patience. After all, the Word teaches us that patience is a virtue and should be included in our prayers alongside faith and hope. But surprisingly, my friend said that she never prayed for patience because praying for patience meant waiting for as long as it took for her goals to come into fruition. Simply put, God's timetable is not our timetable.

I didn’t comment at the time, but for a while I noticed I would skip phrases in the bible that spoke about patience and was careful not to utter the word even in my prayers. Like my friend, I was anxious for things to begin happening in my life and was afraid that God would take his time. What we may want now may take for what may seem a lifetime to us. But I realized that skipping over that word really meant nothing. That sometimes we may have to wait and that waiting without worrying or complaining is not so simple, but is extremely necessary if we want to be content with where we are in our lives.

Being patient is extremely hard for me. I’m not talking about waiting in a grocery line, in traffic or on the phone for a customer service rep. or for the light to turn green while waiting to exit my complex (that is the longest light ever), but waiting for that yes from an agent, to meet the right man, or for a lifelong dream to come true.

Most people know that I’ve been writing for years. In 2014, I put my writing into high gear finishing my book and starting another, writing a couple of screenplays and tightening short stories and poetry; basically getting everything tight so that when an agent called, I’d be ready. Sure, I’ve always sent out queries and entered fellowships and contests during the years, but this had been the first time where I felt that I had worked the hardest on my craft to get it to perfection. But still nothing.

Waiting and patience go hand in hand and that's where I am today. I’ve done my work and now I’m in an expectant stage. Though I may get discouraged, I know that there are successful writers out there who at one time were just like me. Writers who went through many, many rejects before they got that yes. Writers who probably thought about giving up when they saw their savings dwindling to nothing. Writers who have to encourage themselves while everyone around them thinks they should give up. And worst the voices in your head that are saying that maybe you should.

I’m not saying that I won’t get impatient while I'm in this Season. But what I am saying is that for now I’m living in the moment, being grateful for where I am today and recognizing that it has a purpose.

Romans 8:24-25 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.