“One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.” ~ Chinese proverb
Each and every moment of our lives is filled with choices. Are we going to act on something or let something go? Are we going to rejoice in a situation or rebuff what is happening? Are we going to embrace the moment or cast it aside? The choice that we make determines the next moment and the moment after that and so forth.
One of the reason that we need the virtues in our lives is to help us make the proper decisions in the moment. If we are prudent, live justly, have good habits, and cling to what is right, our choices will tend to be what God would want of us. If, on the other hand, we are foolish, cheat, have cast aside good habits, and fail to hold firm in the faith, our choices will most likely mirror the whims of the world in which we live.
Each choice, each moment, has the potential to make or break us. That may sound harsh and/or impossible. Let us take a quick example into consideration. Grabbing from our “bad decisions in the moment”, let’s choose texting while driving. We have all heard stories and seen pictures of what happened when someone took their eyes off of the road for the briefest of moments.
Accidents have left the person alive but mangled or dead. Many times, others in the car have perished along with the driver. Sometimes other people in other vehicles became victims of the accident as well. All because, for the briefest of moments, a person took his or her eyes off of the road and lost situational awareness.
Patience is a virtue. It is something that, employed well, can lead us to greater holiness. If rejected, it can lead to our ruin. Impatience often leads to snap decisions that do not take into account all the variables. Impatience can destroy.
I know that this sounds dire. I have acknowledged that already. However, it is important to hear because it IS dire. That is why Scriptures — both Old and New Testament — and Jesus Himself admonished the people never to let their guard down. One brief moment is all it takes. One brief moment can make or break us.
Because of that, we need to make sure that we are always viewing our lives and life-choices through the lens of faith.
FAITH ACTION: Ask God to give you the grace and the patience that you need to make the right choices today.