Saturday, May 31, 2008

Patience


God speaks to us in many ways. One of the ways I frequently hear God’s voice is through books. This morning I was blessed by my reading of One Day My Soul Just Opened Up by Iyanla Vanzant, which offers a different spiritual principle to work with each morning and evening for 40 days. I’d like to share with you excerpts from today’s chapter, which deals with PATIENCE.

Working Definition: Demonstration of steadfastness and assurance. . . It is stability. A mental attitude of calm and poise. The foundation of faith.

“You must not allow the wind to rattle your core. A hard-blowing wind will rip the leaves from the branches. It will cause the weak limbs of a tree to snap. It may even cause some pretty large branches to snap off. A wind, however, cannot affect the core, the inner essence of a sturdy tree. A strong wind cannot disturb the dark, peaceful calm at the bottom of the ocean. . . When a gusty wind blows through your life, you must retreat to your core. You must not break. You must have faith and be patient.

“Spirit and things of a spiritual nature do not work on your schedule. The fact that you have a schedule, the fact that you want certain things to occur, in a certain way, at a certain time, is an indication that you believe you are in control, that you believe the spirit of life must answer to you. You are not in control! You are in a process of spiritual unfolding, and in that process, whether you like it or not, spirit will use every experience possible to ensure that your development is on schedule -- a spiritual schedule. You cannot watch the clock or the calendar. You must watch your heart, know the truth, and be patient with your unfolding process.

“Patience is a demonstration of your willingness to surrender total and complete control to the wisdom of God. It is the ability to discern the unfolding of a goal in the midst of a windstorm. It is knowing that your efforts are paying off even when there is no tangible evidence to support that belief. Patience is being able to retreat to your core when you are being challenged and pull up everything in your arsenal of truth that will glorify the presence of the Divine in your being. Patience is knowing that you have done your best, and that what will be on the test is what you already know.”


Morning PATIENCE Affirmation

I move in time according to divine order.
I am where I need to be, when I need to be there, doing what I need to do, when I need to be doing it.
The divine order of divine time guides my steps, my manner, and my life.
I move in time according to divine order.
I move in time according to divine order.
I move in time according to divine order.
For this I am so grateful!
And So It Is!


Let Me Remember . . .


Trust, truth, and faith are the foundation of patience.

For everything there is a season.

I am not in control.

A strong wind cannot disturb my core.

Divine time and divine order are guarantees of my divine good.

There is more than I can see going on.

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