Tag Archives: patience

Dec23

DAY 357

Posted on December 23, 2013 by lsgrlr

Life lessons from a phone battery…(Yup, it can happen).

So I had this bright idea it started on Saturday. Wait, for my idea to make sense let me back track a bit. I have a smart phone, it runs on a battery. Batteries are interesting things, if you don’t charge them, they don’t work. If you charge them too much they eventually lose their ability to hold a charge properly and thus, they don’t work. Most technologically advanced IT people (people way smarter than me) have told me it is good thing every once in a while to let the battery die ALL the way before charging it. Thus helping to extend the battery life (I am not an expert, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to try). So Saturday morning (once I took my phone off the charger) I made the decision to not charge my phone again until it died on its own. Today is Monday and as of 5 pm this evening my phone still had not died. I am tempted to just charge it anyway, but that would defeat the purpose of what I am trying to do. What I find really interesting and a little funny about this situation is not the “energizer bunny” like quality of my phone’s battery life, but my impatience and irritation at the fact that my phone has not died. I should be eternally happy to realize that my phone has such amazing battery power. Instead I am frustrated because it’s not doing what I want, which is for it to DIE. (Yes, I know it’s illogical, but I am experiencing it none the less). Here’s the correlation: How many times as we continue on this journey have we ignored a “good” thing because the outcome was not what we wanted? The fact that what happened trumps the outcome we wanted doesn’t matter. Why? Because good or bad we want what we want. Yes, we are a little silly. Today my phone battery thought me a lesson. Don’t be so focused on getting our (my) outcome that we (I) miss a “good thing”.

“And He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.’ And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper…” (1 King 19: 11-12).

So what am I thankful for today? Life lessons from a phone battery. (Side Note: My phone died at 6:53 pm. Funeral services will be… 😉 )

Dec12

DAY 346

Posted on December 12, 2013 by lsgrlr

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Testing and life both require preparation.

I don’t like studying. I don’t mind tests, but the preparation is monotonous and boring. However, if I want to do my absolute best, the preparation (not matter how uninteresting) is necessary. This theory does not only work for test taking, but life journeying as well. Some portions of this journey will require boring, monotonous moments of preparation, otherwise known as WAITING. Waiting has got to be one of my least favorite words in the English language, in any language actually. I dislike waiting, I don’t have the personality for it. However, as I have grown up and gotten older I am slowly learning its importance. I have rushed through enough things, making a complete mess of situations and circumstances that would have resolved nicely had I just bide my time. The mistakes have been painful, yes, but they have also taught me the importance of the boring and monotonous. So right now (well not right this second clearly I am writing a post), I am studying, preparing for an exam that will have change the direction of my journey. Every leg of the journey requires preparation. Don’t despise the boring and monotonous.

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand” (Zechariah 4:10).

So what am I thankful for today? The boring and monotonous 😉 .

Oct16

DAY 289

Posted on October 16, 2013 by lsgrlr

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Don’t rush through life. Take a window seat enjoy the view on the journey.
(Picture by Lisa R.)

Hahaha! I have a story which also, curiously enough contains a lesson. Today I was driving to Fort Lauderdale on the turnpike. Traffic is moving at a nice pace. The drive is beautiful. windows down, wind in my hair. I am cruising and smiling. Then I spy it, a car several feet in front of me. The driver clearly does not realize he/she is on a highway where the speed limit is 70 m/hr (and everyone is going 80), because he/she is driving like they’re in a school zone. The way traffic is flowing I can’t immediately move out of the lane, so I slow down, because, well, the car in front of me and I aren’t friends…yet. The car behind me, who can’t see what’s going on in front of me starts to honk. Huh? It’s a highway dude, move if you’re unhappy. He honks again, I look to my left I can’t move, just about then the right lane has just enough space for me squeeze in, I quickly get out of sir honks-a-lot’s way. He moves from behind me at break neck speed, only to immediately break, in an effort to avoid school-zone-driver. I start to laugh. Because now he is as stuck as I was, but more importantly he now has a clear picture of what was going on. What’s my point? We can’t always see what’s ahead. Yet we rush through life, making decisions, and choices that leads to us having to draw our breaks least we collide (not in a good way) with a future we are ill prepared to face. Don’t move faster than you need to. On your journey drive at the pace that is right for you. Don’t look at the other “cars”. I use to feel “less than” because I wasn’t where others said I was suppose to be. But here is what I have learned, I am right now in the right place for me, learning the way I need to learn. Growing in the direction I am suppose to grow. Don’t rush the process, enjoy the drive. Lest you ram the car in front of you (not the best way to start a friendship).

“And let steadfastness [patience] have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4).

So what am I thankful for today? School-zone drivers 😉 .

May16

DAY 137

Posted on May 16, 2013 by lsgrlr

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What we see as traffic, may be God saying: “It’s not time to move yet.”

It’s official. God is teaching me patience, which is thoroughly uncool since I have been taking precautions not to pray for it. I am not by any means the most impatient person in the world, but admittedly I have my moments. I had this thought today (as I sat on hold for fifty minutes), every lesson thus far has been about patience, and waiting: Whether it was a forty minute, two mile drive or an hour long wait at the cable company to get a working remote control. My take on all this? Something is coming that will require me to have patience. I have learned in my relationship with God that He doesn’t throw curve balls. He allows trials and hardships, but there has never been a time (for those who follow and listen to Him) when He didn’t prepare us beforehand. So I am going to stop the complaining and take the time to learn what God is so diligently trying to teach me. This is gonna be a hard one. I may not be impatient, but that does not mean I like to wait (mmm…maybe I am more impatient than I know). Here’s a little wisdom I have learned. If you consistently run into the same wall over and over again, step back and look for the lesson. It may be that God (who loves you) is wanting to prepare you to handle what’s ahead.

So what am I thankful for today? Patience (okay maybe not)…but I am thankful that God loves me enough to prepare me.