Patience in waiting. Wait. Aren’t patience and waiting the same thing? Please be patient as I explain the difference: One definition of patience is: “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.” Waiting is defined as “the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.” There is a difference if you look closely: patience highlights the act of having self-control, whereas waiting highlights a delay of any sort of action. 

I’ve found myself needing a lot of patience in my waiting; namely: waiting for this pandemic to end... or, at least to have a very minimal impact on my life. It’s difficult to do all that is required in order to keep my neighbour healthy. It’s difficult to follow the rules set out by our government when it becomes an inconvenience or annoyance to me. But when I read the news and think about why these new rules are in place; and what God says about loving our neighbours, it should be a no-brainer for me. Yet, it’s still difficult! In these times of waiting, and when stamina is needed to end well, I find myself needing to turn to God and to His word for encouragement/wisdom. I pray that everyone would be blessed with an extra measure of patience in their waiting as we (hopefully) begin to see the end of this pandemic. 

Luke 10:27: And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

                                                                                                                                Axel Hiemstra, Grade 5