Today, Lauren has decided to give her dad a break and write the devotional thought for him. I think that you will find the change of perspective and pace refreshing:
There is a Chinese proverb---well, there’s pretty much a Chinese proverb for everything, but this one in particular states that “One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.” As I do with most proverbs, I nodded at it and said, “Oh yes … that’s very wise,” and carefully placed it in the to-be-referenced-for-a-phenomenal-paper file instead of actually applying it to my own life.
Then I became a high school English teacher.
I think that pretty-much sums it up, but for those of you who may not experienced this particular type of eye-awakening event, I’ll explain. One thing that being a teacher will do to you is teach you how to frantically fly back to all those bits of wisdom you heard in the past and somehow salvage them and make them into something that enables you to survive the day without being eaten alive … very slowly … with a spoon.
I recalled this particular Chinese proverb one day when a particular high school junior did a particularly annoying thing that set me off in the particular way that type of action always has. This wonderful student---let’s affectionately call him “Johnny”---was the 19th student in that class period to ask me what the homework assignment was. For the third time. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to most people---all of you NORMAL people out there are already thinking I’m crazy, and that’s okay---but for poor, poor, me, it was what we fondly refer to as “the last straw.” It was toward the end of the semester. It was a Thursday. It was the final class period of the day. It was in the final 15 minutes of the block. It was a rainy day. I hadn’t gotten much sleep. My coffee was cold. My lesson was rushed. You name it: I’m sure it happened that day. In other words, if you remember the book about the “terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad day,” you could easily have filled in the Alexander’s with “Mrs. Barker” and had most of the details just about right.
Well, when sweet, earnest-to-learn Johnny asked me for the umpteenth time about the homework assignment, I snapped like a finely-aged twig. I looked at Johnny like he had deliberately set out to be the bane of my existence and sharpened my tongue enough to spit out, “HAVEN’T YOU HEARD ANYTHING I’VE BEEN SAYING FOR THE PAST 3 MONTHS!!!!” You can imagine the shocked look that washed across innocent Johnny’s face when my words collided with his comprehension. Now imagine MY surprise when Johnny, who throughout the year may not have been as wonderful, sweet, earnest-to-learn, or innocent as I have let on, contritely mumbled, “I’m very sorry---I’ve had a bad sinus infection that has been affecting my hearing; I didn’t mean any disrespect.” Ouch. “One moment of patience may ward off great disaster,” huh? Well, it may not have been a GREAT disaster, but it could’ve been one. With that brief moment of disrespect and lack of self-control, what kind of example did I set for Johnny? For the rest of the class? And though I meant well (to teach students responsibility), I approached it in a very un-Christian way.
It all comes down to having patience. Patience is empowerment. It empowers you to really reflect on your intentions and find a way to see them through. It calls you to rise above yourself and be what that other person needs. Waiting a minute longer than you think you can. Stilling your lips for a fraction longer. Taking a breath before taking action. It is in the small delays that the world is saved, one relationship at a time. How’s that for a Chinese proverb? Maybe I should write the fortune cookie company in Detroit…
Blessings,
Lauren Allison Barker
