“Patience! Patience!…I WANT IT NOW!!!!!!!!” Brad yelled when Barrett told him he had to cook his hamburger a little more. Brad is our blind, autistic friend who has perfect pitch and is our worship guy when we go to the nursing home. He has a heart of gold, can play the piano like Elton John, and loves to talk about God’s Sovereignty! We had him over along with another friend on Saturday night for burgers, homemade fries, corn on the cob, and brownie Sundays. My timing was poor for when the food would be ready so we kind of ate in stages with Barrett and I quickly jumping up to check the various stages while leaving our guests at the table (the whole seamless hospitality thing is a work in progress). The randomness got to our dear friend who often talks out loud to himself as a reminder of how he should act. He’ll scrunch up his face, forcefully rub his hands over his eyes and tell himself what he should be doing, hence the cries of “Patience! I need to have patience! But I WANT IT NOW!”
We all kind of laughed but it got me to thinking…way to go Brad for his honesty about his feelings and attitudes. He acknowledges his wrongful attitude and tells himself what he should be doing. He constantly quietly chants about patience, God’s sovereignty, and God’s will when it comes to each choice he has to make. Do I do that? Do I put my daily actions underneath the truth of a Sovereign God when things go right and when things go wrong? Nope. Do I remind myself of what I should be doing when I choose sin? Not always. Do I convey to people what Im struggling with so they can come alongside with encouragement or counsel? Nope, that’s like saying Im weak at something! Who wants to be that vulnerable?
Brad started to shift around and look for his walking stick. “Why don’t you grab your keyboard and sing for us Brad?” I suggested when he told us he was finished. He placed his keyboard on his knees and sang praise songs with all of his might, quoted scripture, and told us how God was helping him through his struggles. As he increased his vocal capacity, Betsy took out her hearing aid with huge unbelieving eyes of his volume, told Tony to shut the front door, and we all smiled while trying to turn him down a notch! Ah Brad, what an example of unimpeded character! May I be just as in tune to my weaknesses and God’s strength when “I WANT IT NOW!”