Reflection for February 19, 2023

Have you ever heard of P.O.P (Prayers of Patience)? Okay, I really just made it up, but, if there is one thing the world needs, it is this! When we become impatient for any reason, we have some choices to make. Unfortunately, when most people get impatient, we just…get impatient or angry and rarely think about choices! Recently, I was waiting in line the grocery store. I was in a hurry but the cashier was not. She spent some time conversing with another cashier about a party they both had attended. I found myself getting agitated and almost did the big sigh (you know which one!), and then, I realized, Lent is coming! (Ash Wednesday is this coming Wednesday!) I started praying for patience, but then I felt God revealing something else. I could also pray for the cashier! I prayed for a healthy social life, for all of her relationships, and for her work ethic! We can either get caught up in our own impatience like many people do, or we can make it something of a prayer. If we are waiting for the restaurant to serve us and it is taking a long time, we can pray for all of those in the service industry and all of those who look for food from day to day. If we are distracted or impatient by kids in church, we can pray for their parents, for all single parents and for the faith of little children. If we are uptight about our own failures and weaknesses, we can pray that God gives us strength. We can use the distractions and frustrations in our life to pray and to maybe gain a different perspective into the incredible love and peace of Jesus. I’LL BE PRAYING FOR YOU!