Out-of-the-Way Destination

pa•tient \ pa-shunt\ adj:  bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint; manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain; not hasty or impetuous; steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity; able or willing to bear (Merriam-Webster, Inc: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh ed. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).

I hate traveling. 

Okay, so hate is a strong (slightly un-christian) word.  How about detest or dislike.  Resent, maybe?  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being in new places, checking out interesting cultures, out-of-the-way destinations.  I love meeting new people and discovering a bigger world.  I just don’t like the process of getting there.  Packing days worth of necessities into now only one suitcase.  Mechanical delays, rain delays, traffic delays.  Rude ticketing agents, frustrated passengers, overbooked flights.  Rushing–always rushing–just to sit in a seat barely big enough for my eleven year old, either sweating profusely in a sauna ("Sorry, ma’am.  It looks like we’re at a standstill on the runway for another couple hours") or freezing in a meat locker ("Here you go, ma’am.  This paper-thin blanket, used by 3,000 other people today, will help take the edge off").  The latter would be the lesser evil, as by now my feet have swelled to the point it appears I’m packing ten cocktail wieners off the end of my flip-flops. 

Thankfully, by the time I get to wherever it is I’m going, the nightmare of the travel experience fades with the dawn of a new awaiting adventure.  Whether it is a vacation with my family, a ministry trip with coworkers, or time to visit my dear friends, I gladly bear the travel again and again just so I can experience the reward which awaits.    

Check out Merriam-Webster’s definition one more time.  What pops off the page when you read it again?  The words "calmly", "without complaint" and "not impetuous" leave my head shaking.  You see, I’m sitting on a four-hour flight from Orlando to Denver as I type.  My itty-bitty plastic glass of cranberry juice hangs precariously on the edge of my 8 1/2 by 11 tray table, which also holds my laptop.  My elbows keep bumping my sleeping neighbor (mouth open).  A small child (although mostly precious) is pushing his feet into the back of my chair like it is the gas pedal in a race car.  And I nearly lost two of my sausage-toes to a racing beverage cart just moments ago.

Certainly Merriam’s definition doesn’t sum up my demeanor over the last couple of days (or couple of paragraphs).  Ironic, especially since I aspire to patience.  I would be thrilled to know my peers saw me as a patient woman.  I’d love to be esteemed as both forbearing and steadfast.  In fact, my own heart and mind would be relieved by a steadfast spirit refusing to be flustered.  However, patience is not a trip I’m quick to book.  I cringe at the mention of the word, resisting until the last possible moment.  Why?  Because I know the process of getting there will be full of hassle, hiccups and challenge.  Difficult people, unexpectedly delays and frustrating detours.   

Out of all the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5, I believe patience will cost the most along the way.  Still, I can’t deny the final destination.  If I forbear with the process, steadfast despite the opposition, I know the adventure will be ripe with reward when I arrive.  For the very pieces of the journey which make it so difficult, will be the very building blocks of a rock-solid life.  

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that when under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."  James 1:2-4