Patience

Verse of the Day:

1 Thessalonians 5:14

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

So after that adventure getting TO our cruise, we were hoping for a less exciting trip back.  And it did turn out to be less exciting, but only by a bit.  After getting off our ship, all we wanted to do was be back home.  Instead we ended up debarking (fancy word that I really wanted to use – it just means get off the ship. J) earlier than originally planned and getting to the airport about 5 hours before our plane took off.  Let me tell you how exciting the Miami airport is – not very. 

We were supposed to board at 12:20, but it never happened.  Time kept passing.  We kept getting more bored and more impatient.  Pretty soon, it was 1:30 and our plane should have been in the air for a half hour.  Then someone came over the intercom and informed us that there had been a scheduling error, and there were no flight attendants for our plane.  I mean, really?  By this point, I was ready to put on a flight attendant uniform, show people what to do if the plane crashed, and serve drinks and peanuts to them.  I could not stand to be in that airport any longer!  Our plane didn’t end up leaving until 2:30 and we obviously got home later than expected.  But the end result was the same: we got home.

A lot of things in our life are out of our control.  We couldn’t do anything to make that situation better, besides being patient with ourselves, each other, and the airport employees.  At one point, part of me wanted to go up to the counter and yell at them for all the trouble they were causing, but when I really thought about it, I realized that would have solved nothing.  They were doing the best they could, as are most people when situations like that occur.  Being patient is hard, it really is.  But we’ve all been in situations where people were patient with us and it meant the world. 

One of my favorite sayings is “Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.”  I read that quote every day before I go to school, work, or wherever I am going and I encourage you to do the same.

The Simple Truth:  Things rarely work out exactly the way we plan them, but there is no reason we shouldn’t handle even the most frustrating situations with patience. 

Pray:

Lord, help me to be patient in all areas of my life, whether it be with situations, people, or You.  I know that patience will get me farther than overreacting will.  Thank You for ALWAYS being patient with me.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers -

K