I’ve prayed for patience for years, but I’ve seen little evidence that my prayers have been answered. In fact, I have often joked that God threw in the towel where my patience is concerned. Honestly . . . I’m just joking.
In fact, most people, when they hear that I’ve prayed for patience, have cautioned me to be very careful. They seem to think that patience only comes through trials.
I don’t agree with that assumption. And, in fact, I’ve seen patience developing in my life through birding.
It takes patience to focus on a tree, waiting on a bird to move or just flutter so I can focus in on the bird for identification.
It takes patience to sit and watch quietly for birds to fly by, or to stop nearby where I can see them better.
It takes patience to go through four birding books, the internet, and my Merlin app to try to identify a bird that flew past and I only have a brief idea of what the bird looked like.
It takes patience to get up early in the morning to be waiting on the birds to get moving.
It takes patience to keep watching, keep searching, keep learning, in order to be prepared for the next new identification.
In short, birding takes patience. In participating in the activity, I have learned patience. And, I’ve learned to appreciate the moments of quiet, of introspection, and of self-discovery. It all happens because I’m learning to be patient.
And I thought my prayers weren’t being heard . . .
