By Simon Ambit
In a time not too far gone by, if you needed something that couldn’t be purchased locally, you would wait patiently for the JC Penny, and Sears-Roebuck catalogs to show up in the mail box? Then, you would thumb through the pages of each to find the part number of the item you needed. Next, you would complete the perforated order form from the back of the catalog and mail in the form along with the correct amount of money, being sure not to forget the added cost of the non-refundable shipping and handling. Upon waiting in anticipation for several weeks, your item finally arrived. I appreciate the advances that we have made, however; in a world of high speed internet, next day air, overnight delivery, instant messaging, and no hassle guarantees; are we forgetting how to be patient and wait for good things to come?
A good friend of mine, who is an avid outdoorsman, and dedicated hunter called me the other day and invited me over for a visit. When I arrived he proudly showed me the impressive buck he was able to harvest on the recent deer hunt. He told me of how he hunted many long and patience filled days. He spent days in the rain and fog, and hiked a lot of country. He had to pass on taking other smaller bucks, before he was finally able to receive the reward he had been working toward. It took a lot for him to have hunted so hard, and not give way to the opportunity at the smaller deer. I was impressed with his fortitude and diligence.
I don’t believe we are entitled to anything. I believe that like my friend who had to put forth much effort, exert self-control, and exercise patience; our greatest rewards are most often found at the end of the trail rather than the beginning of the journey. If my friend had given up when the storm settled in, he would have never gotten to see the fog roll off the mountain peaks. Had he headed off the mountain at the first hint of rain, he would have lost the opportunity to find fresh tracks in the mud. If he had settled for the smaller bucks he viewed early on in the hunt, he would have never had the chance to harvest the fine buck that he did.
I find that life is the same, sometimes we must allow the smaller good things of now to go by in order to attain the bigger, better ones that only come later. Sometimes success comes early, but more often than not, it comes after our dues have been paid, and we simply must wait for the right time. I personally feel that we have much to gain by exercising our patience and strong will in order to attain our righteous desire, or at times simply overcome life’s pitfalls.
If we can exercise our ability to be patient, I believe we will grow in character, have increased happiness, and have more meaningful purposes in life. Not all things are needed right now. Hurry up and wait.