Patience

 August 25, 2020

I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty patient man, but today God tested me, and I came up wanting. Yesterday, my phone died. Completely. It won’t turn on...nothing! I had hopes that if worse came to worse, I could trade it in on a newer model, but of course, it’s only worth something if it will start. I don’t need the latest model with bells and whistles; just a basic phone. Unfortunately, years ago, I started with Apple, and converting everything over to a cheaper platform is more than I’m up to tackling. So until further notice, I’m phoneless, which could actually be a blessing. 

Recently, I was informed that the taillight on my truck was out. Not a big deal, right? Wrong! Had it been the turn signal or backup bulb, no problem, but this was the LED circuit; I learned today that the only fix is to buy a complete taillight unit. Instead of a $2 bulb, it suddenly became an $80 problem.

Linda and I have planned for some time now to add on to the house again. Remember my friend Chuck’s comment on the check engine light coming on? We figure we’re at that stage in life where a little preventive maintenance is in order, so we have contracted to have an upstairs laundry built on so we (aka “she”) won’t have to navigate those steep stairs when we get a bit more wobbly on our feet. To do that, the old basement entry which is already collapsing needs to be removed. I began with the inner door. Of course, the outer door is larger and made of steel, so instead of just moving it, I have to completely rebuild the inner doorframe. Nothing is simple in an old house.

I can be all sorts of patient with people. They can be irritable, unreasonable, inconsolable; I can handle that for days at a time. But stuff is supposed to work! I know things wear out, but my tolerance for mechanical, electrical, technological glitches is pretty thin. So today as I was driving from place to place without any success, I had to remind myself of the far worse issues so many people face every day. There are millions who would trade their problems for mine in a heartbeat, so I am thankful tonight for the bumps in my road that shake me out of my complacency, and for the reminder they give me to pray blessings on so many who are in such great need. I can’t say I’m any more patient, but tonight I am more prayerful, and that is good.