Wish I had said that – I’m quoting an unknown source. But what a great mindset! In our lives of instant everything, many times the ‘good’ does take time. Will we wait till it materializes or whine off? Or does it depend on the eventual ‘good things’? ‘Good’ may be a word that demands personal definition but it is also a relative word. What may be viewed as important, as something to be attained today may be ‘old’ tomorrow. Remember though, it is the eternal things, the truly essential things that can earn the title of ‘good’. The transitory ‘good’ is typically a want, a desire not a need.
No, ‘transitory good’ doesn’t make it bad – but it’s another case of putting the accent on the wrong syl-lable. What we should be seeking, what we should label as ‘good’ are not those things that can be bought but those qualities of character. Sound boring? Not. Anytime you spend the time working on becoming, on being a better you is worth the time and effort. You are always worth the time it will take you to grow, to realize who you are and what you are able to become. But only you can do the work, take the time to grow into that better you. Don’t think it won’t take work – it will!
Perhaps it’s time for you to identify, if you haven’t, what you consider to be the ‘good things’. Are they always … things? Do you only look at the tangible as your focus for good? However, for a moment consider just things – do you wait for them to emerge? Or do you decide you have other ‘things’ on your plate that you don’t have the time or energy to wait for the ‘good’? But what about time? Time often does need to occur before the good can be complete. And now relevance merges as the basic criteria to consider.
And to answer the ‘things’ question – of course the good isn’t limited to only the tangible. And I suspect you do take the time for them as well… to a point. Soooo, is this just a not so subtle way of saying that we are an impatient people living in an instant gratification time? Yes and no. I am saying we need to take another look at this aspect of our lives because we are hammered with it constantly. And I am also saying that the truly important things, the essential and eternal things need to have a larger role in our lives. But that we also need to realize that in the less tangible areas, it takes time. We are a ‘becoming’ creation and God isn’t finished with us yet. Have His patience with yourself.
