Proverbs 14:29
It’s smart to be patient, but it’s stupid to lose your temper.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
For the first two-plus years of his life, my nephew Timothy suffered from night terrors. Nearly every night, he would go to sleep at bedtime with minor fanfare, only to “wake” an hour or so later (like clockwork)… screaming inconsolably. After several weeks of this, we learned that he was not truly awake… that he was experiencing something known as “night terrors.” He could not transition into a deeper sleep pattern… but he could not wake up, either. To say this was frustrating would be a major understatement. And I could readily see how easy it would be to lose patience - and sadly for some children, how a parent could lash out in frustration.
Timothy could not help this… he was totally unaware of it. In the words of this scripture translation, it would be stupid to be mad at him for this inability to sleep soundly. And as much as we wanted to scream and cry with him many nights, we did our best to console him… pat his back, wipe his tears, and soothe him until he was able to calm himself and drift into a deeper sleep pattern… and to be patient with him.
We can all see how ridiculous it is to lose our temper with a toddler. We understand that the child cannot truly be held responsible for many of his/her actions and is still learning how to function in our world. And we understand the temper tantrums of said babies… they have no foundation yet for handling the challenges and irritations with which they are presented. As children grow, we begin to expect more from them. Often, as they learn to exercise patience, we tend to lose our own!
Patience is an acquired characteristic! We are aided in this process by those in our circle who demonstrate this trait – and the coping mechanisms needed to achieve it. Hopefully, we also come to understand that God will help us. We can ask Him to give us patience… to help us control our temper… and to keep us from behaving stupidly!
There is a delicate balance in play here… one we simply must master. I urge you to spend some time in prayer and ask God to help you control your temper… to equip you with patience for all circumstances… and to help you to always operate in a manner that is pleasing and honorable to Him. None of us are toddlers. We can no longer make excuses! It’s time to grow up and be responsible. With God’s help, We.Can.Do.This! Are you with me?!
©2012 Debbie Robus
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