Patience and Wisdom... Or the Skunk?
I once saw an image of a skunk eating from a dog’s food bowl, while the poor canine sat there, fully aware of the situation.
The caption read as follows:
“Two of the greatest qualities of life are patience and wisdom.”
Amen.
When I was a little girl, our dog, Princess had an encounter of this concept, with unpleasant results.
Being half- Terrier, she loved chasing critters. She’d bring a dead woodchuck or squirrel to our front door many times. And yes, she was also thoroughly engaged in pursuing skunks which occasionally scampered across our farm. Bad idea.
So, we all know what happened next.
(“Mom, get the tomato juice…again!”).
As much as we’d like to think we’re smarter than a dog tangled with a smelly skunk, we, unfortunately, still often wrestle with the patience and wisdom thing, don’t we?
Impatience, instant gratification drives, unmet need perceptions, and shortsightedness are just a few demanding lures which spur us on to our own individual skunk encounters of relapse and self-destruction.
But, c’mon, it’s more tantalizing and supposedly “easier” to get in there with our own way of doing things, right?
We’re in control…
We have a handle on it…
We won’t go “too far…”
(“Mom, please get the tomato juice… again”).
Scripture cautions our independent, bright idea sort of thinking…
“There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.”
Proverbs 14:12
Debby downer stuff, yes, but, again, we need these refresher courses, because, well, we have a tendency to get into all kinds of messy trouble.
Have you met the human race?
Yeah.
So, patience and wisdom are two guard rails to our lives.
“In your patience possess ye your souls.”
Luke 21:19
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask The Most High, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
James 1:5
So, it would be great to embrace those helpful aids, right?
Why don’t we give them some great big hugs?
Once again…
“There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.”
Proverbs 14:12
Now, looking at these gems, raging, screaming Narcissism, selfishness and arrogance just leap out, right?
It looks ridiculous, like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum on the floor.
But that’s exactly what our human nature, left unchecked, seems to be.
Without patience and wisdom, we’re tangling with a whole variety of skunks- and we WILL pay the price for that entanglement.
Yes, it’d be much more fun to do whatever we feel like doing whenever and however we feel like doing it.
It’d be great to have absolutely EVERYTHING we want when we want it.
Patience and wisdom are not exactly “party words.”
But, as we grapple with self-control, faith, health and maturity, we need to keep one important thing in mind: His Promise.
“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of The Most High, ye might receive the promise.”
Hebrews 10:36
It’s not just about avoiding the bad consequences; it’s about opening ourselves up to the GOOD ones as well.
There is a payoff for practicing patience and wisdom. There are rewards.
Good health, a happy family, fulfilling relationships, peace, love, and a real relationship with Elohim are some of those rewards.
However, they don’t “just happen.”
They take work; they take patience and wisdom.
Again, we need that refresher course as each of us encounters a myriad of skunk opportunities.
Mr. Stinky is in our field of vision.
Patience and wisdom are too.
What will you and I choose to do?
Copyright © 2025 by Sheryle Cruse