PATIENCE MY BOY, PATIENCE!

                       ‘Shoebill’ photo by Quartl – Own work, licensed under CC SA 3.0.

The Shoebill Stork pictured above is downright prehistoric!  They can be up to 5 feet tall and have an 8-foot wingspan!  They are called a ‘shoebill’ because their bill which can measure up to 9 inches long and 4 inches wide looks like a shoe!  Don’t be fooled, their bill is a powerful tool used to scoop up huge fish with its pointed beak and sharp edges.  They can be found stalking the vast wetlands of the Nile in Eastern Africa.    

They are a wonderful example of patience, famous for their ability to stand motionless for hours at a time, staring into the water, rarely blinking. Some call it the ‘death stare’.  They are masters of patience!   You fishermen can relate.  They are waiting for their next meal to swim by.  When they see it, they lunge forward in what is called a ‘collapse’ spreading their wings and plunging down bill first into the water to capture their dinner.  Patience for them is a matter of life or death!!!  

Remember Job 12:7?  It tells us that animals and birds have something to teach us, something to tell us!  ‘But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;’ 

We could learn much about patience from the Shoebill, the ‘master of patience!’  

Do you:  Drive over the speed limit to get to your destination faster?

Do you honk at a driver in front of you at a traffic light that has turned green?

Do you frequently burn your mouth on hot food or beverages?

Do you push an elevator button multiple times?

Do you wait less than a minute before hanging up after being put on hold? 

These questions were part of a survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Fifth Third Bank who wanted to know how ‘insanely impatient’ the world has become to promote their new time-saving features on their mobile app.  An average of 64% answered YES to the above questions!  76% admitted to driving over the speed limit to get to their destination faster.  I can attest to that.
As a result of their survey, the senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Maria Veltre is quoted as saying, “Patience may be a virtue, but it’s no longer a reality.  In our increasingly fast-paced society, every second counts.”

Well, the trouble is, impatience is not good!  Like the Shoebill, patience could also be a matter of life and death for you too!  
‘Being impatient causes stress, and chronic stress has detrimental effects on our physical well-being.  Your physical and mental health grows when you practice patience.”  From an article entitled ‘8 reasons why patience in life matters’ by Maggie Wooll, MBA, on the BetterUp website.  To read the article, click on the following link:

https://www.betterup.com/blog/importance-of-patience-in-life

Now you know why the Holy Spirit that lives within us produces ‘patience’ in our lives!
‘But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.’  Galatians 5:22-23. NLT.
It is all part of the ‘abundant (stress free) life’ promised by Jesus, who ‘came to give us life and have it to the full.’  John 10:10.

And remember Philippians 4:6-7, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’

If you want to meet a Shoebill, click on the following link:

This is the Shoebill Stork!