Patience & Motivation

This photo shows Dylon (right in the center with the black bibs from his band uniform) just before the Senior Walk during the last home football game of his Senior year in High School.

This year has been packed full of "stuff" and "activities." He has participated in his first High School musical - and played the lead no-less. His basketball team went two-deep into the playoffs and though he was not a starter he still made every practice, bus trip, tournament, etc..... In band his ensemble advanced to state and will rehearse early in the morning and late in the afternoon up until the end of May when they head to Austin. He is taking college Physics which at times is "eating his lunch" academically. His favorite statement to me regarding this Physics class is "I love the application but can't stand the homework and equations!" He is planning on taking a mission trip with the church youth group this summer to Mexico. To say that he is busy is probably an understatement but I have noticed in my short 47 years of life that healthy teenagers tend to find themselves in this time of schedule and "lifestyle."

Dylon, like most people, is now struggling with the final 11 weeks of school. Now, to be completely truthful, it has not been just the final 11 weeks but this entire year. He fights getting his homework completed and for that matter just about anything completed. His "patience" and conversation level is very short and by no-means attempt to question him as to his motives and/or intents because they are his and shouldn't really matter to the masses of people let alone a parent.

As a point - Dylon has been a part of the media ministry at our church for over five years. When issues arise during a worship service as soon as possible we begin to text one another (this goes for all the media personnel) to address issues that need attention. Well - we get to going back and forth with the text messages and the next thing you know I get a text with a link to a website. Out of curiosity I head to the web site via my iPhone and find myself at an Anger Management course. Yes! you read that correctly - Dylon was confident that I needed some professional help and want to play a part in me finding that help. It took me a couple of minutes to stop laughing (on the inside because the service was still happening) then I thought "this boy really lacks some patience!"

Now, as some time has passed and I find myself often in the same predicament. I often want something completed or at least where I can see the "light at the end of the tunnel" and if it doesn't happen quickly my motivation just vanishes. A nice scripture reference comes from Ecclesiastes 7:8 "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride." Now a quick discernment for me on this scripture shows that even God knows that to see or be at the "light at the end of the tunnel" is a good thing but we better be careful in how we get there when it comes to patience and motivation or we could have another serious issue to handle.

So, today I'm gonna stay the course, be even-tempered and take a breath when I just want to be at the "end of the tunnel." Pride and the negatives surrounding that issue is much more difficult to handle than patience.