Shayne Looper: Patience does not come ready-made
A while back, our washing machine started leaking just a little, so after wash day, we would pull the machine out and use a rag to dry under it.
As time passed, the leak got a little worse, and then a little worse, and after a while, we needed a towel to dry the floor. So, I said the words my wife of 44 years fears most: “I can fix it.”
I went online and searched for “LG Washer leaks from bottom,” and found what I was sure was the culprit. I could follow the YouTube guy’s instructions and fix it for $20, or I could spend $150 to have a repairman come and do it. When I said that to Karen, she said, “But a repairman could get it done more quickly.”
Undeterred, I said I could get it done quickly, too. I would order the part immediately, even before I checked it out, and then I could install it on my day off. If it turned out that wasn’t the problem, we could send the part back, call a repairman, and would be no worse off.
I ordered the part on Thursday. On Friday night, I pulled the machine out further than ever and turned it sideways. Then I removed the access panel in the back, got down on the floor with a flashlight, and checked out the part. It was pristine. I mean, it looked brand new. Now what? I asked Karen to run a load of wash so I could visually inspect the source of the leak.
I was in my study when the machine began to discharge water. Our laundry room sounded like Niagara Falls. The water was gushing from a tear in the plastic drainpipe, which I had probably caused by pulling the washer out so many times without removing the discharge hose from the drain. So, it was worse than when I’d started. Now, I had to order a different part and take the front and top of the machine apart to install it. I’m pleased to say the installation was a complete success! We were back where we began with just a small leak ... but, of course, I could fix that!
In my attempt to make things better, I made them worse. I was in a hurry and started repairs before I knew what was wrong. I was not patient.
When impatient people try to fix things — think of social injustice, mistreatment, or relational conflicts — they often make them worse. This reminds me of St. James’s first-century plea for patience. When his contemporaries in Israel tried to fix their society’s economic inequality, they initiated a civil war that became an international conflict that destroyed their economy, brought down their government, and brought an end to their nation.
The same thing happens on a much smaller scale in our everyday lives. We have a problem with a spouse, child, or coworker. We’ve been mistreated, and rather than praying and patiently seeking to understand how God intends such things to be handled, we rush in with harsh words and angry attitudes. Before we know it, we’ve made things worse. We’ve turned a minor problem into a major one.
We need patience. But patience is not a manufactured good. A person cannot order it; it must be grown across the various regions of a person’s life, which is why the Bible describes it as a “fruit.” Some people ask God for patience and expect it to drop out of heaven on them. That’s not how it works. Others say, “Whatever you do, don’t ask for patience because God will give you troubles.” That’s wrongheaded, too. Of course, we can ask the loving heavenly Father for patience, but we must understand that he doesn’t just hand it to us ready-made; he helps us become, through interaction with him, a patient person.
It is hard, and perhaps impossible, to be patient without faith. Patience is only enabled when faith is active. People with faith don’t need to rush; they can afford to be patient. They don’t carry the weight of the world, but they know who does. This is why the prophet Isaiah wrote, “Whoever believes will not act hastily.”
— Find this and other articles by Shayne Looper at shaynelooper.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Shayne Looper: Patience does not come ready-made
