From patience to passion

This past year I've felt like God has been teaching me what it means to be patient. Patient in

-my job

-my friendships

-my "stage of life"

-my plans

Patience has at times been nagging, frustrating and discouraging.  But, it's also been comforting, promising and restful.  I came across this verse in 1 Timothy 6:6 the other day, "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment." In my own life it seems I can't disentangle patience and contentment.  And the contentment that I've found in patience really does make me feel closer to God.

I once read a blog where someone said they picked a new word every year that they felt like God was laying on their hearts. I didn't pick patience intentionally (trust me), but God has been faithful in teaching me it anyway. And even though I still have a lot more to learn about patience, I feel like He has given me a new word...a word He'll teach me to live by.

Passion.

I don't know how He's going to do it, because (confession time) I've been feeling a lack of passion lately in almost every area. But, on my trip to the Dominican Republic I felt a glimpse of that passion once again. And it was so sweet and at the same time freeing.

So, (raises glass) to a new phase of learning to be passionate in the midst of patient contentment...here we go.