Choose Patience

I grew up in a household with two strong-willed people. They both wanted to be in charge and they argued about it a lot.

I spent a lot of time in my bedroom reading or playing with matchbox cars. I had Barbie Dolls but I always preferred small cars. Because it wasn’t socially acceptable for girls to play with cars I had to take the cars my brother didn’t want.

I was okay with old cars.

Somehow I eventually learned to tune out the arguments but I don’t remember how I did it.

The good news was that the arguments only occurred during the summer months and only when my dad was out of the house.

When daddy was home peace reigned. He never yelled but he had a look that silenced the yelling. When I did something I wasn’t supposed to do and I got the “look” I would stop dead in my tracks. Daddy was gentle and kind but he had clear-cut rules. I knew what they were and I followed them.

Proverbs 15:18 tells us,

“Hot tempers cause arguments, but patience brings peace.”

Today, 60+ years later daddy has been gone nearly forty years.

He was a peace bearer and as funny as you’d expect a leprechaun to be.

The day he died I was 34 years old and I didn’t think I could do life without him. Even though I was married and had four children of my own, I still depended on his wisdom and his sense of humor.

He loved God/Jesus and he knew God was the way of peace.

He taught me everything I know about relying on God every day, every minute. He taught me how to ask for the presence of the Spirit and recognize when the Spirit came on me.

It was pretty basic.

Ask.

Sit.

Wait.

Receive.

It really is the way of peace.

It’s my most precious gift.

You can have it whenever you want it. Just ask God to come. Sit. Wait. Receive.

Deborah

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