Romans 12:12 – Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (NIV)

I have never thought of myself as being impatient, until the day I stepped outside the front door with one foot on the doormat — and the next step was about to change my thinking, as well as my attitude.

The doormat was covered with ice which I failed to see, until I lay flat out on the front porch. The result was a badly sprained ankle and a broken joint in my big toe. Wow, did it hurt!

You might imagine what the next few days were like. I struggled to manage around the house, until finally, I had to give in. Frustrated and in pain, I kept packing ice around my battered swollen foot and tried to stay in one place.

What a horrible feeling not to be able to do something that would ordinarily take me a moment — and on the other hand having to take five minutes to try to explain what needed to be done to another. Believe me, my patience was wearing thin!

As I ached over the struggle to regain my independence, I began to think about people who, through illness or accident, have had to give in and let others do for them.

Revelation 14:12 – This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. (NIV)

What a teaching tool this has been for me — to have some idea of how it feels, and of the adjustments any one of us might one day be called to make.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us examples of what it means to lose control of things that we don't think about until they happen. In our afflictions, enable us to be patient, and bring healing and freedom from pain and frustration. Help us to be joyful in hope, and faithful in our prayers. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Anne Russell <annerussell80@gmail.com>
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
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