The gains of patience

The gains of patience: Life is full of challenges; and sometimes, under pressure, people crack. They feel they can no longer stand against all the problems facing them. Sometimes people feel they have the worst job in the world, others feel they have the worst health problems.  There is a tale about a wise man. One day a woman went to him for advice.  She said, “Things are terrible at home. I live in a small hut with my husband and two children. My husband is not doing well at work and cannot afford anything larger. My husband’s father lost his job, so his parents had to move in with us. The wise man thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have a cow?"The woman said, “Yes.”  He said, “Take the cow into the hut to live with you for a week and then come back to see me.”   The woman was puzzled but thought that since he was a wise man, there must be some magic in bringing the cow into the house. So, she did what he told her to do. The week was horrible. The hut was so crowded that every time the cow turned around, all the six family members had to change their places. When they tried to sleep, the smell was intolerable, and its mooing won’t let them sleep.  After a week, the woman went to the wise man with her complaints. The wise man thought for a moment and said, “My dear, go home and take the cow out of your hut and come back to me.”  A week later, the woman returned to the wise man and said, “Thank you! I feel happy and things have become so peaceful.” This story illustrates how we often get unhappy with our situation until we find things could be worse.  On the spiritual path, one of the lessons we need to learn is accepting the will of the Lord. Life would be so much easier if we accept that God knows what is best for us.  We should give God a chance to let things happen and observe patiently.