Are the Cookies Done Yet?

Being patient is hard. It’s hard when you can smell the chocolate chip cookies that are not yet ready to leave the oven. It’s hard when you are waiting for a long-anticipated vacation. It’s hard when bills are mounting and the paycheck is days away. It’s hard when you long for the next time you get to see your grandbabies. It’s even hard when you are waiting to become a mermaid. But today, I have been unfortunately reminded by a friend that patience is hardest when you fear bad news. Even the strongest and bravest of us can be brought to our knees when we are confronted with waiting to learn whether our lives will be unalterably changed by the answer to perhaps one simple question. In my friend’s case, it is test results that could mean she must gear up for another cancer battle.

In those times, our impatience breeds fear. And the longer we must wait, the greater the fear becomes. That is when I and other people of faith, having already been brought to our knees, use the opportunity to pray. A lot. Hurry up, God!

But what about all the concerns, unanswered questions, or “tragedies” that confront us daily? All causing some measure of frustration, worry or fear. They can zap our energy and steal our attention. And just when we’ve bitten our nails to the quick, yanked out our last hair, or posted it all over Facebook, we usually discover that it was really no big deal. We should have been more patient! As Mark Twain is credited with saying, “I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.” That’s me. And while I regret wasting my time on those worries I am beyond grateful that the majority were all for naught. As for the times when my fears were realized? I thank God for giving me the strength that got me through, although not without scars.

I have always been told that patience is a virtue. And I’ve always imagined mermaids to be virtuous creatures. I think I have a way to go.