Patience My Dear

I consider myself a relatively patient person. Waiting really doesn’t bother me. That’s probably one of the reason’s my favorite sport is…surf fishing. It’s not really a sport after all; it’s a study in patience. You bait your hook, you cast it into the surf, and—you wait.

Chapter three, verse twelve of the book of Colossians tells us, “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” So as Christians, along with being generally nice guys, we must also be…patient?

Some time ago I prayerfully submitted a collection of skits to a famous Christian drama publishing company. For a month I waited for a reply. Then an envelope came in the mail with the publishing company logo in the upper left corner! I opened it and read that they had received my submission in good condition! They were forwarding it to their lead reader for consideration! The letter also stated that it would take several months for them to reply back to me. Not a problem…I'm patient.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

“I wait for you, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God.” Psalm 38:15

I’ve been told that God answers prayers in three ways: yes, no, and wait. Eight months later and still no word, I think I’m finding out that God is saying…wait. But I’m tired of waiting, Lord!

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1

There’s an old saying that goes, “Good things come to those who wait.” Okay, Lord, I guess I can wait a little bit longer. But please hurry!

Election Day 2008

I’ll never forget my first time to vote in a presidential election. November 6, 1984, the candidates were Ronald Regan and Walter Mondale. I felt with all my heart that my single vote would be the determining factor of the election. Well—my candidate did win.

It wasn’t my first time to vote. You see, I didn’t turn 18 until the year following the 1980 presidential election. So when I was eligible to vote, I made sure I was the first in line. (But I didn’t quite make it.) It was 1982, and the candidates were Jim McConn and Kathryn J. Whitmire. It was the Houston mayoral election. I remember it so well; bubbling in that scantron paper, making a difference in my world, one pencil mark at a time. My candidate didn’t win that election. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.

I’m not voting on this Election Day 2008. Why, because I voted two weeks ago. I don’t like standing in lines. I’m not going to endorse a candidate. But I will give a personal quote from a dear friend.

“If Obama wins, we will become an “Obama-nation” before God.”

What can I say, but VOTE EARLY AND VOTE OFTEN!