How many times have we started something and then given up? Plenty of times! And most of the time the reason why we give up is due to the fact that we cannot wait. We have other work today and hence we don't have the patience to wait for the results to show up. Many a times we may be very close to achieving what we want to achieve, but then with no success in sight and with growing impatience, we give up!
Patience is a virtue that we rarely find these days. We live in a world in which things are done instantaneously. Hungry? There is the 2 minute instant noodles! (It never gets cooked in 2 minutes. That's a different story!). Need a cuppa? There's instant coffee. Want to get in touch with someone? There's instant messaging. Want to watch a movie? Download it instantly!
But what happens if that instant message of yours does not get delivered? We yell, we shout! We curse the network provider! And the situation is worse if the message gets delivered and we don't get a reply. We call the other person. And if we fail to get a response even then, God save that person! A slow internet connection makes us get angry. In this age of instant gratification, something that is not instant is distant for us!
We refuse to wait. In our quest to get instant results, we sometimes fail to see that short is not always sweet. Our answered prayers are being answered in some way that we don't see. Maybe our dream project isn't taking off because this isn't the right time for it. Or maybe we have many failures because we still need to learn many things before we are successful.
When we plant a seed, it takes time to sprout and then grow to be a plant and then a tree. But once when we plant the seed, if we keep digging the soil to check whether the seed is sprouting or not, the seed never sprouts. What we need to do is wait. We must be patient and keep watering till the plant grows. Similarly, in life there are times when all we need to do is just wait with hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel. But we must walk towards that end to see the light! And sometimes you can chase a butterfly all over the field and never catch it. But if you sit down quietly on the grass, it may come and sit on your shoulder!
Patience may seem bitter but it's fruit is sweet.
