I am not, by nature at least, patient. I want everything now! No waiting. No delays. No phases, steps, or timed releases. Every part of the project, idea, or order should be here, now. It should come without any hesitation. Even if I am not ready, now is the time. Despite decades of evidence, I find it hard to learn that patience is an important skill I should nurture. Much of the time, I do not even seem to remember the lesson.
The evidence started when I was young. If I enjoyed a particular dish of food a little, why not make it the whole meal? My mother knew better. Yet, I did not learn the lesson. By the time I was out on my own at university I had discovered the wonder (and horror) of large single dish meals. There is something wonderfully indulgent about the process. It is also an invitation to finishing a meal with a sick feeling in one’s stomach.
With age and the lessons that came along with overly aggressive training, marathon sessions at work, and pushing the limits at whatever I found myself focused on, one might think I would learn my lesson. As I look back, I am not sure anything has changed.
In the darkness of the predawn silence, I find myself rereading an old writer’s observation. His notes included the paradox of timing. “We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes.” (1 Corinthians 2.6)
Today’s question is never about the availability of Life’s lessons and teachings. It is all about timing and what I am open to. If I listen to one of Life’s insights, deeply, letting it change me from the insight out, I am richer. I will also be ready for the next. One step can follow another.
