Dear Faith Family,

Love is patient, (1 Corinthians 13:4). 

It happened again.  I went.  I found.  I conquered.  Where, you might ask?  Why Walmart of course.  I know, you can order online and they’ll deliver your “stuff” like right to your doorstep.  Or someone else can shop for you and you can pick your “stuff” up in the parking lot.  You don’t even have to go into the store! 

But where’s the fun in that?!  I mean walking into Walmart is comparable to Seal training.  Ok.  Not that hard.  But it can be challenging, right?  So, meanwhile, back at Walmart.  I’m checking out.  That’s when it happened again.  I started looking for the quickest route through checkout.  I’m doing complicated math equations in my head as I assess the people in various lines, where in the checkout process each individual is, the number of items in the buggies (Have you ever counted the number of items in someone’s buggy in the “Express Lane” – 10 items or less only?!), and even the color of light above the register and whether it is flashing or not. 

It’s safe to assume that at that moment I was not thinking about learning patience.  I, instead, was developing impatience.  I was in the process of doing my best to eliminate time and resistance. 

Isn’t it interesting, challenging, that Paul began his description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 with the word “patient”.  Now before you impatiently move on, know that patient involves the wedding of two ideas: “long” and “wrath or anger.”  The idea is to suffer for a while.  It would seem then for patience to develop would require something to put up with (i.e., wrath, anger, suffering) and a length of time.  Love embraces patience. 

So, if we avoid suffering combined with a length of time, we foster impatience.  Walmart is a rehab center for patience.  It provides the necessary tools (time and difficulty) to foster patience.  Ever look for the longest line?  Ever let someone else go ahead of you?  That’s where love, only by the grace of God, can flourish. 

Go ahead and practice patience today.  And when God graciously gives you the tools for developing patience, start building. 

Practicing, 
Pastor Karl