I am about the move house. With each step and action, my patience is tried in a way that tests my heart and mind. Recent moves by friends, many after several years even decades in the same place, echo the challenge, hard work, and it-is-always-longer-and-more-difficult-than-it-seems kind of experience that comes with each move. To be frank, I just wished it was over and done with. Move, check. Boxes unpacked, check. Everything has a place, CHECK! Physically and emotionally recovered, check. I almost imagine.
As I wake to start a new day, I realize that regardless of my desires and imagination, I am in the preparation stage. A small local team with a lorry or two will arrive later today, finally! Despite my work and endurance, I can see things that should be packed but are not and could be wrapped but are not. Whatever the situation is, it will need to be enough when the movers ring the doorbell. It may not be pretty but it is what it is.
Life reminds me of how important patience is.
Whatever the state of one’s life is, it is where one begins. You can be angry, upset, or even frustrated by the reality of what is, but “it” is. I may not be ready, but the movers are coming. There may be more work that could or should have been started and completed; regardless, we will act based on what we find.
There is no bad time to work on moving forward. Late, early, and in the middle of the day, opportunities are here. Seize the day is a broad invitation to each moment in our life. There is no blanket action appropriate for every moment – context, preparation, readiness, and opportunity all come into play.
Stillness is an action, although it often does not feel that way. When I struggle to stay still, I find it helpful to remember the psalmist’s words; “The word of God to my Lord: ‘Sit alongside me here on my throne until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.’” (Psalm 110.01)
