DAY 5 CHRISTMAS GOOD NEWS: PATIENCE

Oftentimes, I find my Christianity tested the most when I’m in line waiting for things: at the bank, at a sales counter, while ordering fast food during the dinner rush, or at the doctor’s office. The urge to be really impatient with slow tellers and cashiers is always there. The tendency to be passive aggressively nasty to those who are taking their sweet time ordering their food when I’m so hungry is always there. The desire to push away people who don’t know the concept of personal space is always there. 

But then I take a deep breath, count to ten, remember that patience is a virtue, and tell myself that our faith is tested not just in the major things but also in the smallest things. Maybe the very people I’m impatient with are going through things that I will never know. Maybe there is a reason for the delays that are beyond anyone’s control. Maybe God is trying to get me to slow down and use the waiting period as a time to meditate or read or pray. Maybe He is trying to teach me something by putting me in these trying experiences. 

What are things that test your patience? 

What do you think God is trying to teach you 

when you’re faced with those kinds of situations?