March 3

For Today's Forward Day by Day readings, click here.

Well, we've just about finished looking at all the tools in the complete set God has packed for us in our bags. Our complete set includes the following items:

Peace — Plug
Gentleness — Kid Gloves
Love — A Wet Blanket
Goodness — A Golden Halo
Kindness — A Lei
Faith — A Thor-Like Hammer
Self-Control — Handcuffs/Blindfold (not the 50 Shades of Grey kind, right?)
Joy — Rice

The only one we have left to inspect is Patience. And you will have to practice it by waiting until tomorrow for a good description of this tool.

Mean, right? Truth is, I'm having trouble thinking of a good visual for Patience. Patience has so many facets — its instructions require the user to embrace the present, to be grateful in every circumstance and to put full trust in God's plan. Patience requires nothing of the user except to wait. The user of Patience  must be content to pause planning and doing and acting. Patience has no time for efficiencies or expectations or forward movement. Patience has no concept of the user's timing.

Now I ask you, what the heck kind of tool does that look like?

My first thought was finger-cuffs. Chinese finger cuffs.

If you have children, or were a child once, you know exactly what I'm talking about. They're those basket-weave tubes kids get at birthday parties. If you stick a finger in either side and pull as hard as you can, the thing gets really tight. Like, panicky tight. That makes you want to pull your fingers out even harder. But the harder you yank, the bigger the squeeze. The only way to remove your fingers is to relax, relent, and push your fingers together ever so gently.

But that doesn't capture the full extent of the Patience tool.

I also considered the Proton Stream tool from the movie, Ghostbusters. (here again, I remind you that this writer is an 80s sci-fi nerd) Perhaps Patience is like the electricity producing gun that captures wayward spirits and lowers them into the open Ghost Box below. But that doesn't really nail it either. It's all something you'd have to point at yourself, which wouldn't be altogether impossible...but could be challenging.

I guess the theme that emerges here with the tool of Patience is the feeling being trapped...but in the best way possible. Patience teaches us to be trapped by God's perfect plan for us. It requires us to sit still, to stop pulling with all our might, to get wrapped up in God's laser love and get lowered into a box where we shut up, sit and wait for God's perfect next step for us.

Next time you feel like pulling harder, or pushing forward with all your might, or striking back with angry words or exhibiting frustration, get your Proton Beam Finger Cuffs out and laser yourself into a place for safe keeping and waiting.