Fork In The Road Music

Learning Patience from Bread and Flowers

Apr 11, 2009 Uncategorized
Posted by Russell Martin

I have been told never to pray for patience. So I didn’t. However it seems that I chose two projects today that are conspiring to teach it to me whether I prayed for it or not.
First of all our church had it’s plant sale today. The United Methodist Womens group holds an annual plant sale to benefit several local mission projects. The easy thing to do would be to go buy a blooming potted plant, hang it up and be done. What did I do? I bought a flat of petunias and a flat of coleus. So instead of a ready made showpiece I spent 3 hours digging, planting, weeding, placing, watering and praying. And right now the poor plants spread apart in a flowerbed look kind of pathetic. Supposedly they will grow, spread out and be beautiful.
The second project I took on was to make bread from scratch. I have never done this before and I am not sure what I have gotten myself into. All I know is that I have already mixed everything and waited 90 minutes for the bread to rise… the first time. Now I am in the middle of waiting another 75 minutes for the second rise.. and we’re not even to baking yet.
With both of these projects I have been looking for the fast forward button. You know like in simcity or one of those games, where you can set things, then fast forward to get to the good part, when things start happening? Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.

I’d like to tell you that the bread will taste wonderful and be well worth the wait. I’d love to let you know that the flowers all grew strong and beautiful. The truth is I have no idea. I will know later but now I sit in the time of the unknown. I hope and pray but have no control over what happens.

6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

You know that verse tells me that it’s ok not to know. It says that I’ll have peace if I give it to God. I usually have peace when I know it’s all going to be ok. But that’s not what this verse says. It says the peace comes when you give your requests to God.

So I’ll let you know. Tomorrow I can let you know how the bread turned out, and in a few weeks I can see if the flowers are ok. But for now I’ll just rest in God’s peace.

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