As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. (Colossians 3:12, NIV)
In the early ’70s, Lee Trevino declared war on slow play. He was the undeniable fast-playing king of golf. Trevino lost the battle on the slow play because it’s a war still being fought today, not only on the PGA Tour but in my Senior League.
Trevino said, “There are some tee boxes where you’d better carry lunch and a razor. The trouble is that waiting on every shot may cause you to use the razor for something besides shaving.”
Perhaps you’ve had some of those thoughts waiting for slow pokes in front of you. When I have to wait, my inner RPMs can get my spirit racing in a negative direction. Chances are you’ve done much waiting in places other than on the golf course. If you’re like me, inevitably, you’ll end up in the slowest line at the store. Waiting can make me a bit snippy and irritable.
That all changed a few years ago when one of my playing partners, sensing my frustration with the slow play of the foursome ahead of us, said with a sly smile, “Joyful, Thankful, Prayerful,” which is an abbreviation of 1Thessalonians 5:16-18… words I had spoken to him minutes before we started our round when he asked how I was doing.
His tone was meant to be humorous, but the words were also a subtle dig. God managed to slip a thought into my mind. As I stood watching that slow-moving foursome in the fairway, I felt undressed; I was experiencing the nakedness of my spirit for not being clothed with kindness and patience. God has been patient with me and the human race, so we must be patient with others.
In the late first century, some Christians wondered if the Lord was not keeping his promise about returning because the years were marching on. But in 2 Peter, which was perhaps the last book written in the New Testament, we hear;
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him. Remember that our Lord’s patience means salvation… 2 Peter 3:9,14,15 NIV.
Waiting on the tee box became not a trial to be endured but a moment of grace. My patience has improved by thinking of waiting not as a curse but as a potential blessing.
Honestly, I can still forget my commitment to use waiting as a time for reflection. My gut instinct can take over. I can easily think of frustrating thoughts about the group in front of me. When I do, I get a nudge from the Spirit to remind me how waiting can enrich my life rather than rob me of joy.
Maybe for you, the grace of waiting might be at the airport, being put on hold by a computer voice when you call almost any company, caught in construction traffic, in the lobby of a doctor’s office, waiting for the server to take your order, waiting for a certain family member to get in the car. But I wonder if it’s possible to allow those frustrations to serve as a reminder that God is patient with you.
Prayer: Father, I pray that you will turn our hearts toward you when the frustration of waiting approaches.