Chuck Coleson, a pioneer in prison ministry, tells the story of what a difference patience can make.  On a trip to Malasia he was held up in the airport for hours.  In a tropical country with poor air conditioning, soon tempers grew very short.  He found himself feeling the first flush of impatience growing in his heart.  Taking a moment to pray, he focused on patience and what he could do to smooth the mood of those around him.  They eventually were seated on the plane and resumed their trip.

     Months later, a man who had been a passenger on that flight took his daughter to preschool in a local church in Hong Kong where he lived.  He was not a Christian but this was the best preschool in the area.  On that morning, he spotted another parent with a book in his hand.  Nothing remarkable about that, except that this book had the face of that man who had calmed the crowd on that long delay in Malasia.  Asking the man who had written the book in his hand, he learned about Chuck Coleson, read the book and was so taken with the Gospel that he became a Christian.

     What changed this man's heart?  The Holy Spirit, aided by the patience of a disciple of Jesus Christ.  1 John, chapter three, tells us that we will resemble our savior as we grow in faith.  Our Lord showed such patience as he shared the Gospel.  Time after time he showed loving patience when he was tired, harassed by Pharisees or surrounded by disciples who were slow to understand.  Jesus, our precious Savior, persevered and the result?  People came to believe.  People were changed.  How is your patience?  May we strive to emulate the patience of our savior knowing that each moment is purposed by him . . . even or maybe especially patient moments, quietly observed in a hot sticky airport in Malasia.