Wait, please
James 5:7-10
Have we forgotten how to be patient?
Photo by Guilherme Stecanella on Unsplash
Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. - James 5:7-10
If I don't get my message across in the first eight seconds, I've lost you.
Eight seconds!
We get frustrated when we watch a YouTube video or when we play a game on our phones, and an ad comes on. Sometimes we have to wait fifteen or thirty seconds to be able to skip it.
An eternity!
Today's reading is short and yet there will be people who skim it, or skip it altogether.
There is a reason I put so much white space on my reflections. We are all conditioned to look at a block of text and decide it is not worth our time to read all that.
We know how we became this way, and I don't think we want to change.
I read that toddlers can focus their attention for two to three minutes. Yes, minutes! Unbelievable. They are paying attention to us while we are ignoring them.
I know people who spend more time cuddling and stroking their pets than they do listening to someone talking to them.
So, James tells us to be patient waiting on God? Ha!
We go to God when we need something and we want it right away. Fix this, heal that, help Joey pass the bar.
Remember what God said to Job? Where were you when I was doing these things?
Yes, where are we most of the time? Are we plugged in and connected? Are we plugged into God?
There is hope for us, if we want it. We have to desire a less stressful life, though. Is that what we truly want?
Things worth having or doing take time to learn, time to master, time to enjoy. We are not taking the time to enjoy life, and it shows in the amount of drugs we need to survive the day.
Lighten up. Chill. Sit in the sun. Take a walk. Spend some time with God, even if you are simply emptying your mind and waiting for Him to speak.
More to come...
Excellent advice! Thx!