The Men of Iron Minute
by Chad Zueck | Director of Content Creation
Traffic Jams
I love road trips! Singing in the truck, eating road snacks, and the beauty of the U.S. countryside have been the backdrop of many memories. We had one of these trips this past week. We were traveling north to south down some familiar byways and backroads. Our trip was supposed to take twelve hours, but this one was more like fifteen. The traffic jams slowed us down to a slothful pace repeatedly. As our vehicle slowed, the temptation for anger sped up. I learned a few not-so-great things about myself…
First, I am patient when things are operating at the pace of my choosing. Second, patience is not just the ability to wait. It’s the ability to wait without being a jerk. I fought the urge like it was my Thrilla in Manilla. Third, patience is a learned virtue, and the road in front of me and the people around me are part of God’s syllabus.
God uses waiting like a faithful teacher uses curriculum. Further, God’s classroom is not bound to our childlike outbursts and irritations. Patience is an exercise of humility. The humiliating problem is that we cannot operate at the pace of our choosing, so we wrestle to make progress we think we deserve. Read this quote with CAUTION:
“The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside us.” G. K. Chesterton
Patience is the speed of grace.
Life’s slowdowns are not divine quarantines of hope and aspiration.
Life’s delays are incubators of our character.
Everyone is waiting on something.
And that’s grace.
Be a mentor.
Become a mentor.
Be a new man.
Contact our team today to find out how you can become a mentor, find a mentor and be a better man! And DO NOT forget to check out The Men of Iron Podcast – Raising Sons of Courage and Character Feat. Jon Tyson (EP. 95)