A Box of Donuts

Today was my last day working with a boy I have been taking care of for the last four months who has a mental disability. Sure, the job is rewarding and I love the boy immensely but at times it can be exhausting to repetitively tell someone to put their clothes on (just saying). The thing I love the most is that this boy has pushed me to my limits with patience.

Patience. That word that a lot of us struggle with living up to in definition. It's not a simple concept and it definitely is something that, at times, I'm not patient enough to deal with. But what does patience really look like? Is patience being able to not yell in a tight situation? Or is patience being able to stand in a line for 2 hours to get a dozen donuts?

I think patience is being content with any given situation you are in, whether it be taking care of a boy with Aspergers, standing in line at the grocery store or waiting for the right person to come along in your life. Being patient requires a lot of patience which is an incredibly odd concept, but it's true. Patience is the ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay (As defined in the dictionary).

Ultimately, patience goes a long way, patience takes you places you've never been before, such as; a sense of peace within yourself, a better bond with other homo-sapiens, and maybe even, a box of a dozen donuts ;)

Perfect Love

You know? Being an open follower of Christ is a scary thing. Especially in the day and age we are in right now, openly following Christ and not being afraid to do it is not cookie cutter perfect or as easy as saying the ABC's. Most of the time on Facebook I read how great God is or a blessing He has showered us with (myself included) which is true,  but here's the thing, being a Christian is and can be scary. As I reflect on this past year, I look at the fear I have had with being open about my faith and ACTUALLY being open about it. Not this 'I have faith' and 'God bless America' stuff. Anyone can say those things now a days, but that doesn't deem anyone a true follower of Christ. 

So what's the solution? Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate solution. He came down to this earth and poured out His PERFECT love to every individual person on this planet and that includes the terrorists, the young adult that killed 20 children, and you. If we as followers of Christ decide to delve ourselves into Christ's PERFECT love, it will cast that fear away. (1 John 4:18) 

One of my goals is to not be afraid of WHAT I believe, WHO I believe and WHY I believe it :)