Daily Devotional for June 17, 2020
Fishing for Patience
Caleb sat on the bucket Grandpa had turned upside down. He reached into the container and grabbed a fishing worm. It felt cool and slimy between his fingers. He watched it curl up and around, struggling to get away.
“Let me show you how to bait your hook.” Grandpa reached for Caleb’s pole, and Caleb dropped the worm into his open palm.
“I want to bait the next one, Grandpa.”
“You sure can. Just be careful of the barb on the hook.” He handed the pole back to Caleb. “Now show me a good cast.”
Caleb angled the pole over his shoulder and flicked it forward, letting the hook and string fly out over the rippling water.
“Great cast! Now we wait.” Grandpa opened a lawn chair and sat down.
“What do you mean, we wait?” asked Caleb. “I don’t like to wait.”
“We wait for the fish to find the bait,” said Grandpa. “We have to be patient.” Caleb frowned. “Mom tells me to be patient when it’s my birthday or Christmas
and I want to open presents.”
Grandpa chuckled. “I bet she does. But learning patience is important.” “But it’s so hard!” said Caleb. “I get tired of waiting for dinner when I’m starving, or helping my little sister learn to do things, or waiting for my favorite TV show to come on.”
“I know it’s difficult sometimes, but being patient is one way we show God’s love to others. Jesus showed a lot of patience. There were many times He had to be patient with His disciples. Even though they saw His miracles and listened to His stories, it took them a while to understand that He was the Son of God who had come to die on the cross for the world’s sins.”
“So if I’m feeling impatient, I should think about Jesus?” asked Caleb.
“That’s a good idea,” said Grandpa. “He’s always patient with us, and He’ll help you be patient too.”
Caleb smirked. “Even if Mom is taking a long time to fix dinner?”
“Yes, even then—though if you helped her, you wouldn’t have to wait as long,” Grandpa said with a wink. He pointed to Caleb’s fishing line. “Hey, look! I think you have a bite. Reel it in!” LORI HULVEY
How about you?
Do you struggle with being patient? Do you want things to happen quickly and in your time frame? When you find it difficult to wait for something, think of Jesus and how patient He is. He was patient with His disciples, and He’s always patient when He’s trying to teach you something too. Trust Him to help you show His love and patience to others while you wait.
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