Patience

May 14, 2020

Patience

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12: 12

There is no doubt today that we wish to return to normal, and we will at some point. We want work to return to normal. We want visits with our families to return to normal. We want seeing our friends to return to normal. We want going out to eat to return to normal. We want everything to return to normal.

We Americans generally want things yesterday, not today. The pandemic has thrown a curve ball, the likes we have never seen before. But I believe we have come to the sobering realization that things aren’t going to get better overnight: the virus will still be hanging around this summer, it’s going to take considerable time for the economy to bounce back, and the employment picture has a long way to go to restore itself to its previous highs.

But Abraham Lincoln said that “time is a great thickener of things.” Although these can be impatient times, now is the time to show patience as we look forward to things getting better with scientific research around the clock to help put usback on the path to normal. Time has proven over and over again that it is a great healer.

The Apostle Paul said, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Let us take to heart these encouraging words.

Prayer: Gracious God, help us to be patient in these turbulent times and let time have a chance to heal the many issues confronting us. Amen.