Patience

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Was it really necessary to add patience to the list of Christian virtues? I am struggling with patience this week. We are in the final stages of moving our antique store from a shed on our farm into our historic dairy barn. The last piece before moving furniture is to seal the newly constructed pine floor which was installed the end of December. I patiently waited all winter for the weather to turn warmer. Then I patiently waited for consistent warm temperatures. Finally three weeks ago I was able to seal the floor with the contractor’s recommendation, linseed oil. I was thrilled with the result after application. Today I am still waiting for the floor to completely dry. There are still wet tacky spots. Some reports say it can take months for linseed oil to completely cure. I am trying to be patient. But it is hard. My cure for lack of patience for a curing floor is prayer. Prayer for patience as I literally watch paint dry. My prayer today is a prayer of thanksgiving for all the life lessons God continues to teach me, including patience.