Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

“That doesn’t go there, Jamar,” Aisha chided, taking the jigsaw puzzle piece out of her baby brother’s hand. “Put it here.” She showed Jamar how to use the piece to complete the orange fish. Instead of doing what Aisha told him, however, Jamar put the piece into his mouth. Drool dribbled down his chin.

“Stop that!” Aisha exclaimed. “You’ll ruin it.” She snatched back the puzzle piece and jammed it into place. She was beginning to regret agreeing to play with Jamar. Sometimes he could be a real pain.

“Be patient, Aisha,” Mom said. She was watching them from the door. “He’s only two, after all.”

“But this is taking forever,” Aisha moaned. “I’ll just do it myself.” She picked up two more of the wooden puzzle pieces and began putting the puzzle together alone.

Mom came into the room and sat down beside them. “Give him another chance, Aisha,” she urged.

Aisha didn’t see the point, but she handed a piece to her brother. “Put this piece over there, Jamar,” she said.

At first Jamar held the piece upside down, then backwards. But eventually, he turned it over and put it into place. Aisha clapped her hands excitedly. “Good job, Jamar!” Jamar beamed with pride.

Aisha forgot about being frustrated with her baby brother for a moment, and together they finished the puzzle. As soon as they were done, Jamar lost interest and toddled off to play blocks.

“You know,” Mom said, “watching you and Jamar reminds me of how I feel with God sometimes.”

Aisha frowned. “Really?”

“I feel impatient when things in my life don’t change as fast as I want them to,” Mom explained. “It can be hard to wait for His answers instead of trying to force my own way. But we can trust God with the end result.”

Mom turned the finished puzzle around. Aisha smiled down at the colorful picture of silly sea life. It was still a little soggy from being in Jamar’s mouth, but it looked much better than the jumbled mess of pieces it was before.

“Even though we’re not always patient, God is patient with us,” said Mom. “He is patiently working in our hearts to make us more like Jesus, and we can trust Him to fit all the pieces of our lives together.”

–Christa Hogan

How About You?
Do you have trouble being patient? Even adults have this problem sometimes. But patience is important in life and in our faith. God loves us, and He is always at work, even if we can’t see what He’s doing. He’s patient with us as we grow, and we can trust that the end result will be worth the wait.

Today’s Key Verse:
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. (NIV) (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Today’s Key Thought:
Practice patience