I am not a patient man. I admit that. I always need to be in the fastest line at the check-out, and when the light turns green, it means GO!!! Put down your cell phone and drive. Move it, get out of the way.

OK I know that is something to improve and I am a work in progress.

Hospitals are a place of concentrated waiting. We wait for the nurse, we wait for the doctor to stop by on his rounds, we wait and wait and wait. They even have a room just for that task. The Waiting Room.

We all understand that God is the great Physician, but he is also the greatest teacher.

I’ve referenced this before; it’s made an impression on me. In the movie, “Evan Almighty” there is a scene where the wife talks about asking for patience. The lesson is being taught that if we ask God for more patience, will he just automatically grant us more patience, or does God instead give us more chances to work on being patient?

I tend to believe it is the latter. Sharing a small waiting room for days with a number of strangers, all under similar stress, calls for patience. Waiting for those doctors to stop in and update you requires patience. Awaiting the nurse to silence the alarms blaring in the room of your loved one, now that takes real patience.

God has given me plenty of opportunities to work on my patience this past two weeks. I hope I am learning.