Recently I was in a drive-through line, and the woman in the car in front of me was in a hurry—a really big hurry. She was in such a rush that, as soon as she got her food, she sped out of the parking lot, leaving behind her credit card. Though an employee tried frantically to flag her down, she never noticed and raced away. Another worker told the first, “Well, she’ll be back.”
“That she will,” I thought. “All that effort to rush and dash and tear around, and she’ll have to interrupt her busy schedule to return for her card. So much for being in a hurry.”
I find that when I feel particular pressure to hurry, I often make more mistakes than when I’m relaxed. My rushing frequently backfires, as it did for this woman, and I must go back and fix my errors. I also notice that I feel physically uncomfortable when I feel rushed—I can sense my blood pressure increasing. But this is something that we bring upon ourselves. It’s a symptom of impatience, and that is something that we can control.
Paul wrote to Timothy, “For this reason I was shown mercy—since I’m the worst sinner, Jesus Christ could demonstrate his infinite patience as an example to those who choose to trust in him and gain eternal life.” Jesus, the model of goodness, was patient with Paul. Surely we can be patient with others, and even ourselves.
That’s something to think about.
Westside Church of Christ 