I want to thank all of you for your patience. There are times when life moves at high speed and before you know it a week or more passes. I appreciate the grace afforded me when these times occur. A number of things occurred recently that consumed a significant amount of time and attention. I am sorry for the distractions and for the break in my posts. Thank you again for your patience.

I am especially thankful because I know that I am not an especially patient person. Part of me still echoes my younger voice, asking repeatedly, “Are we there yet?” I do not wait well and anticipation can make me anxious.

The challenging part of this self-knowledge is that I know it reveals a part of my ego that has yet to fully submit to God. Not long ago, I read somewhere that ego can be an acronym for “Edging God Out” and truthfully, I see that in my impatience.

I am not being hard on myself, just real. When I become impatient and want things to go my way and to go that way now, I am putting myself first and thinking more highly of myself than I ought. The root of impatience is the belief that the world exists to serve me and make me happy. That is a far cry from the revelation of scripture.

My life in Christ is about putting him first and serving others in his name. I am called to “humbly consider others more esteemed than myself.” that is not always an easy task, but it is my call nevertheless. It is the call of all who claim Christ and seek to grow in his likeness. By serving others, we serve Christ and we represent the heart of God who demonstrates his love for us through great sacrifice.

I am thankful form the patience I receive from others and I pray that God will increase my sensitivity to the need to offer the same gift to others. Today, I share the prayer of John the Baptist that I may decrease so that Christ may increase, and I pray that together, our witness will lead others to experience the patient love of God.