Every top notch 100 metre sprinter will vouch time immemorial that ‘patience’ is the critical factor for those milliseconds between the Starter saying “Set” to when the Starter’s pistol is fired.
Breaking the starter pistol can be disastrous. Many a champion athlete has had to bow out from the 100 metres sprint due to this one phenomenon - lack of patience.
This short video highlights some of the great false starts at the Olympics
Patience - that millisecond is required to ensure the athlete is not disqualified.
Patience in the Bible
Much is said about patience in the bible from Old Testament stories to New Testament instruction.
Two illustrations are suffice
Judges 7 verse 5 we see Gideon exercising much patience in how he and a small band of his men drank water from the stream. It was a God thing. The battle won was of the Lord.
One of many similar passages - Jesus said - “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
Patience reflections
Patience means the difference between victory and defeat in a whole host of daily routines. Like the false starting sprinter, it can mean your lack of patience, even for that millisecond, meant failure.
On the other hand, each person in their own experiences, holding up for just that little bit longer meant a better perspective, a better outcome, a better relationship, a better understanding of the Spirit of the Lord.