my word of 2022 is this: patience.
maybe you’re internally groaning. don’t pray for patience, or else God will give you practice!
but that’s not the patience I want. I don’t want to only learn patience, but I want to enjoy and appreciate patience.
many of us dread it: the word patience. but I want not only to learn patience, but delight in patience. i want to appreciate patience. what is patience?
– patience is the spaces between seconds. the slow rhythmic thud of each heartbeat nestled deep in flesh.
– patience is a deep breath, separating the scent of oranges, chocolate, roasted chicken, cherry blossoms.
– patience imagines what the hills and wastelands could be, but recognizes what they are. the feathery grass, the tiny stumps poking from mats of dead leaves, the spray of scarlet berries hanging from a tangle of twigs and brush — patience is what stops, sees, ponders.
– patience is like the birds chirping at 3am, waiting for the dawn. singing through the darkness because they’re ready for the light.
– patience is worthy craftsmanship. pausing to examine details, smooth the paint, place a letter or word or picture in the exact right place.
– patience lends value. patience watches kernels grow to plants, dusk grow to dawn, wastelands grow to playgrounds, and a child tie his shoes. anyone and anything wants to be treated with patience, because it means their growth is valued — that they are valued.
– patience says, “You are worth waiting for.”
these are just a few of my thoughts on patience. What is your metaphor for patience?
Stay inspired,
thoughts of a wanderer 