We must be patient with ourselves and patient with others
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: By the Rev Lyall Rennie
There is a song by Leonard Cohen called Slow. Some of the lyrics are: "I’m slowing down the tune, I never liked it fast, you want to get there soon, I want to get there last.”
The speed of travel today conditions us to expect equal speed in other areas of our life. More often we ask, “When do we arrive?” rather than “What can I see on the way?”
Many of you who are parents may remember long car journeys with your children when 10 minutes after leaving home they would say, “Are we not there yet?” and you had to amuse them with games like I Spy. Thankfully, today, with iPads and DVDs that is less often heard.
It is said that patience is a virtue, but today it is a virtue that few of us possess. We must be patient with ourselves and patient with others, just as God is infinitely patient with us.
A phrase I often say to people is, “Give it time." It’s not always appreciated, but patience is more constructive than anger and is a necessary part of positive Christian living. It’s a balanced, well-navigated way of life which is the Biblical shalom – the God-created harmony of life with God, with our fellow human beings, with work and nature, and with ourselves.
