Like Son, Like Father

If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be. James 1:4 ERV

That’s not a typo folks—the subject line/title of this post is ‘Like Son, Like Father’….a play on the saying, like father, like son. But more on that later, right now I want to talk about you, me, and every other impatient person reading this.

We live in a society that’s constantly telling us to hustle, to make things happen, and that if we don’t—we’ll get left behind.

For most, it’s easy to get caught up in that mentality—believing that if we’re not constantly moving and shaking, we’re not doing enough. But that’s not what the Bible teaches, and that’s not how God wants us to live.

The Bible teaches that we are to trust the Lord and wait quietly for his help, but, (again), that’s not how most of us operate—we wrongfully think that life is all about the “Just Do It!” or “Have it Your Way” slogans.

Not me. Not anymore. I no longer subscribe to any of that. I know better, so I do better. These days I subscribe to what the Bible teaches. I’ve learned to be patient when I have troubles and Pray all the time.

And I don’t know about you, but God’s way feels right. Waiting on Him is how I’ve been able to marry the right person and how together, we’re raising two remarkable children in this crazy world. It’s how I stay physically and mentally fit. It’s how I achieve success—how I’m fearless during these uncertain times.

But like I said, sometimes it’s like son, like father.

You see, whenever I have a surprise for my son, he gets super excited.

So excited that he does his happy dance, which is a combination of the chicken dance and the running man—its kind-of-like the Carlton dance, but different.

And even though I tell him to relax and calm down, he can hardly contain himself. He tries to guess what I have in store for him, but his best-guess is never as good as the real thing.

And in many ways, I’m just like my son—I’m a two-year-old waiting for ice cream with sprinkles on top or a brand-new remote-controlled car. I try to be patient, but I get excited, my mind races, and I try to figure out what’s waiting behind doors 1, 2 and 3.

I’m learning tho—I’m maturing—understanding that all I have to do is carry on and do what I’m purposed to do.

No guessing games, no worrying—just focussed on letting that patience work in me.