Beyond Mediocrity Blog

(Image courtesy of stock.adobe.com.) “If you pray for patience, be careful; you’ll be given a lot of situations that will teach you patience.” This has often been repeated to me and probably to you. Perhaps you have even said this to others. I do not doubt the goodwill or the sincerity of the brother or sister in Christ who may have said this to you or vice versa, but I do think this common, Christian cliché deserves a little unpacking.

(Image courtesy of shopify.com.) Every season has its quintessential images and moods. Winter, for instance, brings to mind images of snow, howling winds, and freezing cold. Trees stand naked against a sea of white. But what is dreadful outside is wonderful inside: images of hot chocolate, a crackling fire, and fuzzy blankets warm us almost immediately. To me, springtime creates anticipation and excitement for the new life that is budding and blossoming all around. The spring rains truly do bring spring flowers. The countryside teems with new life: speckled fawns nurse in the thicket and baby blue colored eggs fill the robin’s nest. The deadness of winter is forced into distant memory as the greenness of new life bursts forth everywhere!