Patience (11/07/2025)

I bought bananas four days ago. All they had were the overly rip and too soft bananas or the green bananas. I picked the latter, thinking they’d turn soon. And four days later, I have a choice to make. Am I a really bad predictor or a terribly impatient person?

Patience has never been my strong suit. In fact, “wait” is among my least favorite words. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a product of the fast food generation or because instant pudding was among my favorite innovations in the food industry. As a child I unwrapped more than one gift on Christmas that had been shaken and squeezed beyond recognition.

Last evening, just before going out for my final time of prayerful reflection before bed, I prepared my coffee for today so all I had to do was hit the brew button, and I spotted the still green bananas hanging next to the coffee pot. I grimaced at the bunch and then walked out to my porch for my good-night ritual with my LORD. And He didn’t make me wait. I hardly sat down before the image of those green bananas was front and center. Why was I so impatient with those bananas? Consider how patient the LORD has been with me.

And for the next several minutes, my mind hit upon all the things I was working on at a snails pace. He calls me to be perfect, and we both agreed I’m not there yet.  After about 15 minutes of prayerful reflection on my day, my year, my life, I think I had a conversion moment. I know I promised to be more patient with others, with the world, with life. And I prayed for the fruit of patience but also the gift of growing closer day by day to the one He created me to be.

And I ended my prayer time by acknowledging that He’d done it again – the LORD had used me and the ordinary things in my own life to show me His way and encourage me along it. The LORD is like that a lot, don’t you know.

This morning, as I stood at my coffee pot, I noticed the still green bananas. “It’s okay,” I said to the bunch, “God’s not done with either of us yet.”

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.