Patience? Who needs that stuff?

I remember the time I thought it would be holy, wise, and good to pray for patience....

Wait, I need to go look in the mirror and see if the word 'idiot' is tattooed across my forehead.

Since that ill-fated day, I have been living in a classroom designed to foster patience within me. Some semesters get me an A+ and others get me a 'INC' as in incomplete.

Last weekend, we spent an afternoon fishing with our grandkids. If you have never fished with grandkids or even children for that matter, you need to engage this practice. If you are wise, you will pray for patience beforehand.

Long story short, we caught nothing. We didn't even get a bite much less a nibble. We did have a blast however! We did sink into the muck (over our ankles) along the shore; we hooked the line and bobber in the one tree limb within a stone's throw from us; we used the rod as a mud probe; we hurled stones, sticks, and leaves into the stream solely to watch them float away. I heard the phrase, "Pop-Pa, I've got one." at least 20+ times. Granddaughter thought the waxworm was cool to hold until it started to crawl across her hand and tickle her. Eventually, fishing rods were laid down and other endeavors took precedence.

We discovered shells from some sort of crustacean and oh, the wonders of crayfish claws left behind by their owners. We watched ducks floating by and decided to crawl over rocks and tree limbs to explore! This might sound strange to some, but I'm ready to do go fishing with the grandbabies again!

Unity in the Body of Christ

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort

to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as

you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God

and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6, NIV)

Are you patient? Are you willing to endure with people who are trying your patience? Are you willing to pray for increased patience in order to help another person realize some joy? As Christians, we are called to be a lot of things, but patiently loving people who stretch our ability to remain patient is actually at the top of the list.

My prayer this day is to gain more patience and find ways to engage the very people that test the same. Let's go fishing!