Patience is...

...highly over-rated, if you ask me. Yes, it is supposed to be a virtue and all that, but I tend to be a "I want it and I want it now" type of person. An earlier blog talks about how I asked God for patience with my mouth and He opened up avenues of patience I wasn't even aware of...[see, June 10,2008: Be careful what you ask for]. This morning, during our devotional prayer call, the pastor made a comment that resounded with me. He was talking about waiting on and listening for God's direction in our lives - how we can be given a ministry, a charge, a call to do something and we get all caught up in the doing of it, that we fail to continue to listen for God's leading. He used the illustration of being in line at a bank - with the customer from ... the hot place ... in front of you. Instead of them having one single simple transaction, they have a problem, they have questions, they have issues - and they are holding YOU up. And here's the statement the pastor made: IT MAY BE YOUR TURN, BUT IT IS NOT YOUR TIME.

Have you ever felt that way? All your single friends around you are getting married and inviting you to be in the wedding and you haven't had a date that progressed past movie and dinner in you don't know how long - it may be your turn, but it's not your time.

Or...you have worked hard on your job - gone above and beyond the call of duty and there is a promotion coming open in the department. You know it's yours, you deserve it, you are more than qualified and maybe you have been doing the work of the position already, only to have the child of the boss swoop in and take that promotion from right underneath your nose - it may be your turn, but it's not your time.

There are many situations in our lives that may seem unfair, unjust or just don't make any sense at all...in OUR eyes. However, in the Master plan for your life (and I'm preaching to myself as well), God knows what He is doing. We just need to stop and listen and trust. And I don't know about you, but for me as a "single, independent, I got this" kind of sista, it ain't always so easy to "let go and let God" or to "wait patiently on the Lord" or just submit. But I'm learning...as I pray are you.

Be blessed.