A Study in Patience
When my daughter was four years old, my mother (her Nana)
asked her what she wanted for her birthday. My daughter said an Easy Bake Oven.
Nana (thankfully) didn’t want to get her one and, as an excuse said, “Oh look,
the box says you have to be 8 to have it. Are you 8?”
“No.” My sweet girl shook her head.
“Okay.” Nana smiled, happy to have that crisis averted. “You
can have it when you are 8.” They went on their way, and Nana assumed she
forgot it.
As parents, we’ve all done that (or I assume you have. I
have). If we don’t want our kids to have something, we tell them something and
hope they forget it.
My daughter, though, surprised us all.
On her fifth birthday she announced, out of the blue, “Only three
more years until I can have my Easy Bake Oven!”
On her sixth birthday, “Only two more years until I can have
my Easy Bake Oven!”
On her seventh birthday, “Only one more year!! I can’t wait
to be eight to get my Easy Bake Oven.”
In the four years since Nana told her those fateful words, “You
have to wait until you are eight”, my daughter has never once begged for an
Easy Bake Oven. She hasn’t cried. She hasn’t whined. She’s just been very
upbeat that she WOULD get an Easy Bake Oven. All she had to do was wait.
I wish I was more like my eight year old.
Patience can persuade a
prince, and soft speech can break bones.
I can think of this two ways. 1) She KNEW her Mama would
give her exactly what she promised. 2) She had patience to wait (four years… an
eternity to a kid) for it.
I don’t know about you, but I want things NOW! I write fast
because I can’t stand having an unfinished story. I can write a book (60,000
words) in about 3-4 weeks. Because of that, I have this tendency to want
EVERYTHING fast. I’m a horrible, “I want it now!” person.
I guess you could say my daughter got my patience… because I
sure don’t have any left ;)
Now, don’t get wrong. I’m patient with people (in my line of
work you have to be). I’m patient with kids. But when it comes to things from
God, I’m not! I have everything planned out and if He doesn’t hit *my* marks,
well He’s slow and I’m sad.
I need to take a lesson from my daughter. She never
complained once about having to wait four years for her Easy Bake Oven. But she
never forgot it either.
Pray.
Be hopeful.
Look to the future.
Know your blessings will come (Who doesn’t want an Easy Bake
Oven?)
But be happy with what you have now.
Did my daughter just not play with any toys while she waited
for her Easy Bake Oven? Did she sit, mope, hate life, and stare at a wall until
her blessing came?
No, she enjoyed her other toys (her blessings as it were),
waiting for the big desire of her heart.
Don’t miss out on playing with your other *toys* because you
are waiting for your *Easy Bake Oven*. It’ll come… and hey, it might even be
the new and improved ‘Ultimate Oven’… a much better blessing than you would
have gotten four years ago.
Patience.
(My oldest and youngest kids have the same birthday. My 8 year old with her new Easy Bake Oven. My 3 year old... all she wanted was a big ball. Yeah. ;) )
~Kelly
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