The Wednesday Word: Patience

Oh, yes the difficult word. How many times have you wanted patience, right now?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines patience as “the ability to wait, or to continue doing something despite difficulties, or to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed.” Not always easy is it?

As a caregiver to a husband with physical challenges I have been getting a crash course in patience, not always with passing grades. The biggest challenge has been dealing with doctors, something I do not do well. Especially when well meaning people remind me it is my duty.

Seeing caregiving as something I have to do does not work. But when I see it as an act of love, everything changes.

Being patient with a spouse, children, co-worker, boss, doctor, friend or the world in general is not easy. But I am learning during those times when patience is wearing thin, or gone altogether to remember I love this man and stop, take a few deep breaths and say the prayer for protection or a quick, God give me strength or God give me patience.

Patience is something that does not always come easy. It is something that must be practiced. And most of us get plenty of opportunities to do that. So hang in there and try to approach difficult situations out of love rather than duty or obligation.

Don’t we Have to “Love our Neighbor” Anymore?

Let’s face it. The world has gone crazy. As my mother used to say, I never thought I would live to see this. What I really don’t understand is that much of the chaos is being created in the name of religion.

Let me start by dispelling the myth that the United States is a Christian nation. There is no state religion. Each person is free to believe and worship or not according to their own conscience. It doesn’t matter according to the constitution politically, if you are Baptist, Catholic, Christian Scientist, Buddhist, Muslim, Pentecostal or anything else, you have the right to have those beliefs and to be allowed to practice them. The Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee University has an article that explains this in detail.

I was brought up American Baptist and many years ago I began studying to become a minister. From the time I was a child I heard sermons on brotherhood, loving and helping one another and creating a church family. The outreach of my home church was about helping more than converting.

I have never heard such angry, vile and downright mean rhetoric in the name of religion as I am hearing now. And all I can think is where did this come from? Aren’t we charged with loving our neighbor anymore? If not, when did it change? I didn’t get the memo.

The truth is, it didn’t. If we follow the gospel of and not just about Jesus we are to follow his way of life. Just saying,”I took Jesus as my Saviour” is not enough if we do not follow his life and teachings to become more Christlike. And those teachings are not always easy or popular. Before you start challenging me on this please get out your Bible and read James 2:14-26.

The Friday Affirmation

I trust that everything in my life is unfolding as it should.

The Wednesday Word: Breathtaking

What is so awe inspiring that it actually takes your breath away? For me it is usually the beauty of nature. When I walk at sunrise the words “Thank you God” often come out of my mouth.”

Please share your breathtaking moments in the comments below.

Sunday Inspiration

Change you thoughts and you change your world. — Norman Vincent Peale

The Friday Affirmation

I create a peaceful sanctuary within and around me.

The Wednesday Word: Kindness

The word for this week is kindness. Kindness is one the “fruits of the Spirit” listed in Galatians 5:22-23. It is one of the ways God expresses in our lives and something that is much needed in the world right now. Being kind is better than always being right and a great way to shine the light into the world.

th

thr

Sunday Inspiration

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

As I have been watching with disbelief the chaos in the world today, I have been trying to figure out what I can do about it. I live in a rural area of Oklahoma and transportation is difficult. So what can I do? What can any one person do?

The important thing is to not believe one person doesn’t matter. If one person decides to live a kind and gentle life of goodness we may face ridicule and scorn. But if another person, then another and another we have a movement. And movements have been known to change the world.

The Friday Affirmation

I choose peace in my thoughts, words, and actions.

The Wednesday Word: Accessible

The word for today is accessible meaning friendly and amicable to talk with. Are you accessible to others? Do they find you easy to approach or do you have walls around you? This is important. How many of us complain about other not approaching us when we have these big walls up?

But there is another meaning to the word accessible. In the 1990’s I was working with people with disabilities trying to break down different types of walls, the attitudes and physical barriers preventing those with disabilities from participating in the life and activities the non disabled enjoy. Progress has been made in making the world more accessible, but we still have work to do.

So today, let’s ask ourselves Am I accessible to others? If not, what do I need to do to make myself more approachable? Is my home accessible? Would a friend with a physical disability be able to visit me? Is my church accessible? I have seen this improve over the years, but we still have a way to go in both physical buildings and attitudes.

We can create a world that works for all. Making it more accessible is a good place to start.