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.I repeat.not Girl Scout cookiesales drives! Bring em on.)" Traffic getting out of the church parking lot" Charities that I m not sure are legitimate, knocking at my door" Neighborhood rock n roll groups rehearsing their music in anearby garageIn her book Parent Warrior (Victor Books, 1993), Karen Scalf Linamentold this story of a young mom who was instructing her five-year-old inpatience. Kaitlyn, she said, you have to learn to be patient.If you don t,it ll cause you problems all your life. You don t understand, Kaitlyn sincerely replied. It s like I have twentypatiences.And when they re gone, they re gone! Do you have so many pet peeves on any given day that you use up allyour patiences before lunch? The secret to not indulging them is to learnto let go of your agenda, your preferences, and your expectations yes, ata moment s notice so you can sail more selflessly through a frustratingcircumstance.We just make ourselves miserable when we insist on grabbingall the happiness of heaven right here on earth right now.Learn to see yourpet peeves as God s reminder signals his little nudges to get you to love194 Patience Day : How to Slow Downsomeone who doesn t deserve it, to do something kind, to learn patience, or(if all else fails) to get you to talk to him about your attitude![Love is] never haughty or selfish or rude.Love does not demand its ownway.It is not irritable or touchy.It does not hold grudges and will hardlyeven notice when others do it wrong.1 Corinthians 13:5 LBJournal Don t Just Do Something; Stand There! Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret.Psalm 37:7How does this verse help you have an attitude of rest instead of Jumpingthe Gun?Count the CostBut don t begin until you count the cost.Luke 14:28 LBAre there any decisions you have made where you Jumped the Gun and didnot count the cost? What happened as a result?195 Part : The Making of a Right Relationship to OthersGod Is Not a God of ConfusionFor God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJVHow does this verse help you in making decisions?Indulging Pet Peeves[Love is] never haughty or selfish or rude.Love does not demand its own way.It isnot irritable or touchy.It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice whenothers do it wrong.1 Corinthians 13:5 LBWhat are some of your favorite pet peeves? How can this verse help you dealwith them?PRAYERPrecious Lord,When I read Lisa s story of multitasking, I think, There but for thegrace of God go I! Thank you so much for protecting me from my owncatastrophic results during the many times I have been trying to do too muchtoo fast.Please continue to protect me.I don t want to hurt people because ofmy impatient lifestyle.And help me not to Jump the Gun.When I encoun-ter roadblocks, give me the patience to just stand there; I invite you to standthere with me.When I am facing a decision, help me to count the cost and notmove ahead until you have given me peace.And help me not to Indulge MyPet Peeves, but to show patience and love when things irritate me.Slow medown; give me a spirit of calm, and yes, even serenity.In the name of Jesus, amen.196 Patience DayYour Patience CoachBumper Sticker:A man without patience is like a car without brakes.PERSPECTIVE-CHANGING OUTINGIt s a beautiful day for a nature walk in the local mountains.We amble slowlyinto the redwoods on a well-maintained path, our footsteps crunching onthe bark.As we go, we leave civilization behind and start to speak in hushedtones, as if not to disturb nature with our voices.Light filters down on usin holy beams.Birds twitter, leaves rustle, and we drink in the invigoratingscent of pine, bark, and leaves.We finally come to the little clearing I had inmind, and we settle on a fallen log, silent together as we whisper a privateprayer and savor nature s cathedral.Looking down, we see why we camehere.At our feet sprout tiny, miniature redwood trees, bravely peeking abovethe soil.These little living buds remind us of the purpose of God s waitingroom.It s where he shelters us, feeds us, and gives us time and protection togrow strong enough to withstand storms and fires and to flourish.Today we re going to step it up a notch with a patience reality check.We ve been learning about the patience it takes to wait in the wilderness, tounderstand people, and to slow down.Now, we re going to see how you redoing in extreme tests of patience: patience when the wilderness remainssilent; patience when we just can t wait; and patience when people won tchange.PATIENCE WHEN THE WILDERNESS REMAINS SILENTOften, in the wilderness, the only result we get from all our prayers is God ssilence, which can be rather unnerving
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