Patience, Pride and Priorities
Most of us return to the
earthly plane because we fail to gain command of our desire for expedition.
“Lord, please make me patient . . . but do it right now!” We take
special pride in getting things done quickly and, should an unfortunate
person marching to the beat of a different drum get in our way, heaven
help him. He is to be mercilessly excoriated with an abundance of
nouns, adverbs and adjectives, specifically designed to summarily dismiss
the fellow from our list of priorities. Teach him a lesson.
Patience is one of the lessons we find to be
continued and represents a major impediment to progress in our quest for
godship. It is not an insurmountable impediment, however, and with
constant attention through use of will, we can carve out slivers of its
lack from our essence until we become . . . patience. The best place
to start is in the home with those we care for most.
Four-year-old Gina is determined to tie her
shoestrings. She has seen others do it, and she wants to do it all
by herself. So, Dad shows her how, step-by-step in her terms, and
watches as the little fingers try to negotiate those gigantic cords.
Dad shows her again. And again. With each attempt he can see
Gina’s resolve slowly slip away. But unlike the ebb tide in a calm
sea, Gina explodes, not unexpectedly, in a dither of tears and sobs, for
the end of her world is at hand.
At this point, assuming Dad maintained a loving
posture with his little girl, he has a choice to make, a choice of will
that may never be forgotten in the life of his child. Both options
involve pride and priorities. Should he wonder if his daughter is
deficient in muscle coordination, that he cannot believe a child her age
is unable to learn such a trifling task, and that his hope she would be
more like him in every way, then his priority is self-pride.
On the other hand, if Dad grabs that little
soul and presses her to his heart, tears, mucous, warts and all, and tells
her, “Oh, don’t cry, baby. I am so proud of you for doing so well
on your first try. Nobody learns to tie shoes in one day. We’ll
do it again tomorrow. And because you did so well, you deserve a
treat. How about some ice-cream, OK?”
Patience, pride and priorities; they work well
together, if we will them to.
Copyright © April, 2000 dtgosnell
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