Thought for the Day - Wednesday 2 September

Thought for the Day – Wednesday 2^nd September

‘The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.’(Ecclesiastes 7: 8)

 

I was on a virtual meeting last night and it was going on much longer than expected and at times I have to admit that, even though I am considered a very patient person, I was growing increasingly impatient! Though I was muted on the meeting as we all were - unless we were talking - I had to be very aware that I could still be seen and so it took all my willpower at times not to shout at the screen ‘Please just get to the point!’ or ‘That point has been made before!’ or ‘How is that relevant?’ Of course, me being me, I did not interject and instead I just sat before my computer stewing away! The debate went on for what seemed like ages and once the issue resolved I had to agree with today’s text that the end of the matter was much better than its beginning,

 

This reminded me of my drive down to Largs last week where I was making great headway on my journey anticipating an early arrival in town and perhaps even an early breakfast at the Green Shutters – that was until I reached a set of traffic lights in Lochwinnoch where repair works were going on and there I got stuck behind a driver doing thirty miles an hour instead of sixty and braking on every corner, of course, there are not many safe passing places on this road to Largs – so there I was stuck behind him all the way to Largs, frustration growing all the time! Even though I know this is a situation which often arises and is always a ‘hazard’ on the road to or from Largs it still did not do much for patience.

 

You have to ask yourself though if all this frustration and getting worked up in this way is actually worth it because at the end of the day you sometimes cannot do much about a situation, can you? All it does do is give you the heartache or the headache, or the mind that is buzzing for ages and you end up all tense and stressed – and all for what – the sake of a few minutes.

 

I think often our lives are like that, we rush from one thing to the next, we keep our eye on the clock, we get frustrated over things we cannot change and about time we lose and actually in the end we begin to begrudge every minute that is wasted. However, in trying to save a few minutes or seconds what we are actually doing is frittering away far more of our own lives because we lose patience or get frustrated or angry and stressed and that affects our health.

 

I suppose what I am trying to say today is that, rather than lose patience and get frustrated, tense, angry or stressed over lost time we need to learn that every single moment is a gift from God and whatever we are doing or wherever we are going or however we are spending that time we need to make the most of every moment while we have it.

 

Patience and patience of spirit should certainly help us savour every moment and help us to realise that the end of the matter will certainly be better than the beginning.

 

Prayer

 

Loving Lord,

Ageless and timeless, you who created time and rules over every moment, be near us at all times we pray. Help us to savour each moment you have given and to always be ready to thank you for each one. Grow within us patience as we live in the present and empower us to look at the world from your perspective that we might look towards the future with hope and love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.