Patience is a good thing. It is about more than just waiting. It is a condition while we are waiting. I am not sure about the statement, “good things come to them that wait.’ But, I am confident that “good things come to the patient.” That is true in many scenarios. Let me give a few. Don’t pursue or solicit compliments. Let them come to you. Don’t run after birds you are trying to feed. Let the birds come to you- hand extended. Last year, I had a hummingbird land on my extended finger that was held in place for about 10 minutes. Don’t pressure people to like you. Let the relationship come with the long term investment you make. The list goes on. Many wonderful experiences come to those who are not forcing or cajoling or manipulating their environment for the experience. They are not waiting with toe-tapping impatience. Good things come to those who enjoy the wait.
And, I would say the same about drama. Many people live their lives pursuing drama or intrigue of the perilous kind. They are not truly comfortable unless there is something about which to be upset, offended, hurt, wounded or unjustly treated. So, they create drama, often unwittingly. Having been a pastor who has counseled many people, I have met my share of those who are never free of dramatic experiences and deep, inconsolable wounding. Those who are proficient at creating drama or finding themselves constantly in it have the capacity for more than 5 major life upsets at any one time. I know I have been exhausted by the count from time to time. And, if it is thorough enough, then it deleteriously affects their health, which amplifies the drama. I asked a friend of mine how his mother was doing since she found herself often in a variety of difficulties. He wryly responded, “She is enjoying bad health. Thank-you for asking.”
Drama, whether self-induced or a result of circumstances beyond our control, keeps the juices and conversations flowing. Make no mistake, emotion and subject matter for conversation are never lacking where drama exists. It also keeps a person from needing to look deeply at the real, meaningful struggle- the internal one that can only be resolved by the loving and forgiving grace of Christ. As long as turmoil exists on the outside, there is little time or need for looking within.
Having said all of that, I want to note that the people I admire most and have lived the most constructive lives all have lived through ample drama. They are courageous people who have had perilous experiences. Most of the interesting and positive people I know have had a boat-load of dramatic and harrowing experiences in their lives. I could listen to them tell story after story of God’s intervention in impossible circumstances. They are exciting and winsome. Problems seem to find them and somehow are overcome. Their stories of drama inspire rather than bore. They tell of God’s grace and blessing rather than feelings of abandonment and discouragement. They make people want to experience the same rather than run from them and their experiences.
So, what is the difference? There are really two differences. First, they don’t seek the drama. They let it come to them. In other words, while doing the right things for the right reasons with the right attitude, they find themselves persecuted, taken advantage of, giving their deserved place to others, sacrificing life and limb and perhaps resources for causes and people rather than themselves. They don’t seek the drama. The drama comes to them, naturally.
Second, the drama is an opportunity rather than a nuisance. When it comes, it becomes a badge of honor or a privilege to endure or an opportunity for patience rather than one of those things that needs to be conquered so life can be lived without pain. This is more attitude than action. The drama highlights the need for dependence upon God and the need for greater love and faith.
And, when I read of the apostles, I see a distinct difference in the way that drama impacted them. They went from the former to the latter kinds of drama. Pentecost was a defining difference. Before Pentecost and while Jesus was still with them, they created much of their own drama and were caught up in the nuisance of the drama created by others. They were petty and easily disturbed. After Pentecost and while they were under the powerful influence of the Spirit of Jesus, they just went about their business of teaching and healing and building people up and they found themselves enveloped by drama. But, rather than being put off by it all, they saw it all as a privilege of service and opportunity for God to work. They let the drama come to them. And, when it did, they were not undone by it, but were motivated by it.
The difference? The Spirit’s presence. The attitude becomes right. The heart is in a good place. The results are the ability to affect positive change. Let the drama come to you. Don’t pursue it. If you are living well, you will have plenty of it. And, it will be the kind that will inspire others rather than wear them out. Let the Spirit fill and heal. Then the drama that comes is another opportunity for God’s greatest work.