"Patience, Young Grasshoppah"

I made tea in my kitchen today.  I rinsed out my tea cup in the sink and made tea in my kitchen today.  No, no, no. You don't understand  --i made tea in my KITCHEN today.  You see, we haven't had a kitchen for over two months and for the first time in a loooong time, i've been able to run water in a kitchen sink, fill a tea pot with water from that sink, and make tea ---all while standing in the same room!  It's been a long haul; even the simple task of making tea has meant multiple steps (literally, and figuratively!) and some days it just got old.  Sometimes it was a struggle to actually make myself get vitamins, find a cup, fill it with water, and take the vitamins myself, let alone get those same things ready for The Bud, make tea for both his thermos and my cup, and then make our Spinach/Carrot/Apple juice in our NutriBlast.  All those simple tasks could wind up taking close to an hour, all because of the various places to find, process, and clean up.

It was a daunting task and some days I needed more patience than others just to make it through that morning routine.

So, as I stood in my kitchen this morning and surveyed the work of The Bud and all that he was able to accomplish (and being very thankful, I might add!), I reviewed all the times I struggled over the past two months with pushing myself to not fall apart, to push myself to go through the motions and make that juice and take those vitamins, to push myself not to run away  --wait, did i say that out loud?  And with a sigh of relief, I realized that all that endurance took patience, and that I must have had it all along.

And that was only for two months.

I say "only two months" because then the thought flew into my head  --think about the boy, Jesus.  As we think about Baby Jesus this time of year, also think about the fact that this baby grew up.  As He grew into a young boy, there is that one account of where he got separated from his mom and dad while traveling.  They found Him teaching in the temple   --"I must be about my Father's business"-- and He was still years away from "officially" starting His ministry (post-baptism by John).  And I got to thinking how MUCH patience Jesus must have had!  I mean, once He had the cognizant ability to grasp the faith needed to step into WHO He actually was for all mankind, wouldn't He have just wanted to RUN into all that The Father had for Him and get it all done quickly?  How much patience He must have had to take the time that He did  --YEARS!--to grow in wisdom, favor and stature with God and men, when all all during that time, "inside Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col 2:9).  Amazing!

Then, as I was thinking on that, the next thought was so encouraging.  I am in Christ.  And because I am in Christ, "His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).  I already have His Holy Spirit, and I have the fruit of that Spirit, which includes patience.  I don't need to "pray for patience" as some say  --i ALREADY have it!  I have the fullness of the Godhead dwelling on the inside of me, the Spirit of the Living God, and I can do all things through Christ who lives in me.

So, I can do this.  I have patience to wait two months to make a cup of tea in a kitchen.  I have patience for any and all things life throws at me.

I already have it.

Jesus had it.  He didn't run ahead of The Father's plan.  He listened, waited, and moved according to that plan.  "In the fullness of time"........

When The Lovelies were little, I gave them an understandable definition of the word "patience"  --"Patience is learning to wait with a happy heart"  --this definition just popped into my head one day, and I dare say it has stayed with me all these years and has meant maybe even more to me than to any of them.  I have the same patience Jesus had.  I have learned to "let patience have her perfect work so I can be complete and lack nothing" (James 1:4)  --a lifelong pursuit to be sure.

What about you?  And would you like a cup of tea while you ponder?  Come over, I'll make you some in my kitchen.