Troy and I were blessed to have our rehearsal dinner on the family farm. His Mom thought that because of all of the young children that it might be easier to hold it at a place where they could run and play and not feel constricted.

My nephew Sidney was standing in line waiting to receive his food. Like most three-year-olds, he was full of energy and enthusiasm for life. However, the line was long and he was hungry, he wanted to eat so that he could go and play with all of the other kids.

My twin sister Jimella was standing next to him and she gently reminded him that he need to have patience. She explained to him that “Patience is a virtue”. That is a hard concept for an excited child to grasp. But he seemed to understand and continued his waiting without further whining.

After dinner they proceeded to stand in line so that they could make ice-cream sundaes. My MIL had every tasty treat that could tempt the taste buds of young and old alike to put on those Sundaes. So it took awhile for each person to make their masterpiece; you can only imagine the wonderfully creamy candy-filled concoctions that were created for our culinary delight!

Again, Sidney was impatient to have his turn at making his own desert. Jimella looked at him and asked him, “Sidney, what did I tell you about patience.” Sidney, looked up at her with his beautiful and innocent blue eyes and replied, “Patience will hurt you!” Out of the mouth of the young come words of wisdom. It is difficult to be patient in all circumstances; it is not just young children who have a hard time grasping this concept. We can look to the Lord, the giver all of good things and He can teach us about patience.

“ 7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:7-11 (NIV)