Showing posts with label Patience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patience. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

One man demands, the other commands; who is the greater?

One man yelled and no one heard him, another said little and all hung on his every word.

At a recent governmental meeting one official spent a tremendous amount of time railing against an initiative. He pounded his fist, raised his voice and performed a number of antics that were memorable. Sitting opposite of him was another official who sat quietly but never said a single world or showed a single emotion or inclination; he just listened. For thirty minutes the discussion continued with the loud official dominating the issue. The quiet man finally cleared his throat and prepared to speak. The entire room became silent.

He spoke softly and with reason, demonstrating an understanding of both sides of the issue. He then gave his own view in a short brief statement. The majority of the members agreed with his assessment and adopted his position, much to the amazement of the more vocal member.

I have been both of these men. I have been the table ponder, nerve rattler and agenda buster. I've also been the poker faced observer who kept his opinion to himself and rarely showed his hand. When I pounded the table I drew attention, when I weighed the situation carefully before speaking I had greater success and commanded the room.

Wisdom, knowledge and positive experience commands the room. A man who demonstrates wisdom, knowledge and positive experience in his family life commands the respect of his wife and family. The man who is lacking in this respect, demands. There is a difference.

There is a passage in Proverbs 17:27 that says "He that hath knowledge spareth his words:[ and] a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit."

It took a little time for me to understand that there is greater strength in commanding the situation than demanding.

Saturday, April 03, 2010

I won't get my I-Pad today

I won't get an I-Pad today!

I have been waiting patiently to get the new Apple I-Pad. There will no doubt be lines in stores all around the world as millions anxiously struggle to their hands on the new device. Those who will plunk down about $500 or more today for the gadget apparently didn't read the advance material. What they read is what the gadget can do; they didn't want to read the other part, or they ignored it. The I-Pad is a light weight e-machine that will allow reading of books, browsing the Internet, operation of of I-Phone apps and scores of other things.

However, the ones being sold in stores today will only do what consumers want done with a Wifi connection. To enjoy it they must remain close to a wifi source; otherwise the gadget is a downer. Later this month Apple will release a version that contains a 3G universal Internet connection. Those who buy today, probably won't be able to upgrade, but will want to. Many will buy another, more expensive unit two weeks from now. (Of course that's probably the marketing plan anyway).

Life is like that sometimes. We can't wait for what we want; we must have it now. In the urgency of the moment what we get often limited. We soon see that we need more. We sense that we need to be universally connected to something greater than ourselves not just a temporary "hot spot" connection.

Sometimes it's better to wait for opportunities, adventures; even for love. What we need comes from God. Only He can provide that kind of 3-G (Father, Son and Holy Ghost) connection. We should not settle for a temporary hot spot, but connect with Him.

This truth is noted in Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

I pre-ordered my I-Pad a month ago. I'll patiently wait until the real one arrives; I think I'll enjoy it more.