A Patience Story

I visited someone’s blog whom I met recently. Unfortunately, I met them because I was officiating their mother’s funeral. While it was a sad way to make someone’s acquaintance; nevertheless, I feel blessed to have met this person and their family. I feel blessed for a moment to have vicariously met her mother.

Moments, like these, moments of remembering loved one’s with a family, give pastors an opportunity to regularly reflect on the fragile and fleeting nature of life. It is a mixed blessing, but undoubtably a blessing. This blessing that comes with watching life pass was punctuated this evening as I went with my wife to watch a stage version of the wonderful book, Tuesday’s with Morrie. For those of you who don’t know Tuesday’s with Morrie is an endearing story of a professor’s life who is ending and precious moments spent each Tuesday with one of his students from his past. Many life lessons about what is truly important are passed on during those Tuesday sessions.  Morrie, says something to the effect of, “I wish I had been more aware of death, during my life.”  I don’t think that’s the quote exactly, but that is the essence of what he says.  I also think this is the blessing that comes with watching people’s lives end.  Watching life passing helps us value life so much more deeply.

Tuesday’s with Morrie is a story that will almost surely prompt you to examine your priorities and/or stir up any regrets lurking beneath your surface. I don’t have a mountain of regrets. Frankly, even at only 44 I think I have lived a rather rich and diverse life with a lot of love and limited hardship. Of the things that I regret the most, are those moments when I have filled my plate too full and allowed life to pull me into a place where I am not happy with myself.   Specifically, the times where my threshold has been surpassed so that with my family, friends or most importantly my children and wife I have failed to be the best John I could be. Don’t get me wrong I haven’t been some intolerable ogre, nor am I prone to being ugly toward people, but I regret those times when I didn’t manage my life well enough to be a patient, kinder John.

“LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND”

These words from 1 Corinthians 13 are only a small fraction of the description of love within that chapter. Yet, I find that even just these two small qualities could possibly be a life time of homework.  I began this post mentioning that I visited a blog of someone I had met recently.  Her name is Mary Jane Ballou and she has a lovely blog called Sacred Miscellany. I would love to know how she finds the rather eclectic mix of links and media she shares.  The video at the top of the page is one of those heart nudging pieces.  To me it is a quiet reminder that “Love is patient, live is kind.”  I hope it stirs you to patience and kindness as it did me, for these are the things that matter the most as life passes.
p.s. Check out Mary Jane’s blog

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