Thursday, September 24, 2009

patience is a virtue

hen Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.  As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."  "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.  "Bring them here to me," he said. ~Matthew 14: 13-18

 Patience. Compassion. Two things that I am daily still working on. I need to take a lesson from Jesus.

Even after retreating to a quiet place to rest after hearing the death of his cousin, John the Baptist, Jesus still lets the crowds come to him. He still had compassion on them and healed their sick.

And not once did he complain.

What do I have to complain about? Here is my list at the moment:
-the phone at work constantly ringing  when I am trying to get things done.
-the sales guys always bothering me with their stuff when I am trying to get things done
-slow people on the road and other cars coming the other way so I can’t pass the slow person.
-my DVR box or computer freezing on me for now apparent reason
-my cat wanting too much attention when I don’t feel like talking. 

Not much a real “urgency” kind of list, eh? I didn’t have to bear the weight of the world on my shoulders. I didn’t have to hang on a cross for all sin while the people mocked me. One person only had to do that.

Don’t you think that Jesus should have at one time had a tantrum? He had people mobbing him left and right, wanting to be healed. He had to let these same people turn on him and send him to his death.

I think my complaints look like mere trifles next to his. Instead of complaining about everything, I need to learn how to do everything I do in worship to God. Instead of rolling my eyes at the phone when it rings, I should be thankful that I still have a job and people are calling. Instead of nagging on the sales guys, I should let them see Christ working through me. Instead of fuming and throwing a fit when my computer starts to spazz out, I should take that time and focus on God while waiting for it to calm down.

We need to be Jesus’ hands and feet. And every action is being watched. Even the slightest little slip could give people another reason to not trust a follower of Christ. And we become the hypocrite we try so hard not to be.

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Ahoy! Thanks for stopping by. Sometimes life should be an open book and here you will find that true. My mind is always on full speed and I will be heading over many waves. I hope this journey is as much of an adventure for you as it is for me~ ~Mindy