I love the slow, breathable space that sneaks in between busy and consumed. The soft spot of time, when everything's clear and smells of contemplation. That time when I'm allowed to linger.
Until I get bored with the scenery.
It's ingratitude, I think.
Impatience for sure.
When I'm anxiously waiting for the view to change {to build our house, when all our dreams wil come true, etc}, just because I want it to; and the Lord tells me to stay put. Learn to love where you are.
Okay. I'll stay. But I still think it will be better over there.
So He gives me this:
"The seeming flat periods of life give us a blessed chance to reflect upon what is past as well as to be readied for some rather stirring climbs ahead. Instead of grumbling and murmuring, we should be consolidating and reflecting, which would not happen if life were an uninterrupted sequence of fantastic scenery, confrontive events, or exhilarating conversation.
Patience helps us to use, rather than protest, these seeming flat periods of life, becoming filled with quiet wonder over the past and with anticipation for that which may lie ahead, instead of demeaning the particular flatness through which we may be passing at the time.
We should savor even the seemingly ordinary times, for life cannot be made up of all kettledrums and crashing cymbals. There must be some flutes and violins. Living cannot be all crescendo; there must be some counterpoint."
-Neal A Maxwell, Patience 1979
Humility. I can only pretend I know what's best for me, but I don't.
He knows for real. He knows I'm not ready for the crescendo.
It's time to linger in the flutes and violins with gratitude.
and patience.
12 comments:
Good quote. Patience is definitely a virtue I was not born with. Daily struggle. This could help, oh Great One. :)
I'm so where you are right now. Glad to know I'm not alone!
I love this! Thanks for sharing these thoughts.
Always looking for something else with impatience really is wise is it? At least you are wise enough to realize it.
Boy do I continuously need help in the patience department. I have learned how to appreciate the ordinary moments in my life... and they are my most cherished moments.
ToOdLeS.
Sounds like you've been doing lots of thinking and praying lately. Me too. and it's a good place to be, I think.
What you said, earlier, in another post, about praying for strength in your weakest areas, and how that forces you to see your weaknesses. Yep.
Here's the thing. I get it now when it says in scripture that we can only be strong when we are weak. Because it's not about us. It's about God IN us. Being our strength. I've been wrestling with some big issues lately. You know- orphans. Praying to know what my role is in this. What our role as a family is. How to usher God's plan into a hurting world, when we are tainted ourselves.
Big thoughts...
Now, get yourself over to my blog and help me figure out what colors to paint my house!
I love this Cally.
But, I will tell you this...we are full of crashing cymbals over hear about every day, so if you ever want to trade, I would be perfectly happy to give you a shot at it.
And I now realize that was supposed to say here not here.
Yep.
I love to sit still. I appreciate days when the cymbal-crashing is minimal and I can hear the voices in my own head.
I guess I know that if things get exciting, it will usually be bad exciting, not good exciting.
Beautiful. I am trying to savor all the moments. The flat places and the extraordinary vistas too. I love the way you express yourself.
That incredible photo ought to be framed. Is that Beazer?
Yep. That's the Leavitt road. Gorgeous, eh?
THanks Aunt Terry.
I hate being patient.....no good at it.
I am lacking in so many virtues of life it seems. Ho hum.
but I guess I'll settle for flutes and violins, as they can be quite beautiful eh.
HEY, I love that photo....I went into your photobucket thing a ma jig (saw it on Trav and Leslies blog) and found a photo of that same scene but with a horse on it.
CAN I USE IT on my blog sometime. Love it.
love you
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