Patience

 

Sheila and I were in British Columbia staring across a wild field, watching a stream on the other side of the meadow and hoping to photograph any bears that happened along.

We wondered if we'd see any bears. We had anticipated everything we could; we were in a good place, at a good time with a good set-up.

We were as ready as we could be.

We just had to wait.

There was only one thing we needed to add to our long list of preparations. What we needed was "patience." There was nothing more required of us. So we waited in the early morning light, and to our delight, this Kermode Bear came along, fishing his way down the stream.

Our patience paid off.

If we hadn't waited, we would have missed him. There are only a few hundred of these bears in the world, so it's astounding that one came close enough to photograph. 

The whole memory of this experience makes me wonder, "How many things have I missed because I've had trouble being patient? What have I missed because my patience ran out and I gave up too soon?"

Romans 5:3-5  -  There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged.