A Father’s Love is Patient

Excerpts from “The Right Fight: How to Live a Loving Life” by John Kennedy Vaughan

A Father’s Love is Patient

“It is easy to be patient when we feel patient, but what do we do when we don’t feel patient? When we are stuck in a line or trying to explain something to someone who just is not getting it? If we let love rule our lives, we don’t have to feel patient in order to be patient.

“What is patience? Patience is having the courage to take a deep breath and look for the truth even when we don’t feel like it. It is being willing to wait even when we want to move on or hurry up and get what we want. Love ruling your life will require you to be patient.

“Above all, what we can’t do is simply accept that we are not patient people.

“I made that mistake so many times. My own father tried and tried to teach me patience, but I was certain I could not be patient. I said I was simply “not a patient person.” I just wanted to get it done. I wanted results, and I wanted them now. I didn’t care how anything worked; I just wanted to know how to use it to get what I wanted.

“My lack of patience as a ski jumper landed me in hospital after hospital. It slowly undermined all my efforts and all but ended my dream of winning a national championship many times. Eventually, after enough suffering and enough hurt, I had to learn to be patient whether I felt patient or not. I finally learned that if I took the time to act out of love, the fruit produced by patience would take care of itself in time.

“Patience is a long, steady push in the same direction, whether it seems like something is working or not. It is trusting the truth no matter how you feel. It doesn’t mean we ignore the truth and keep pushing no matter what; that is foolishness. It just means that when we know the right thing, we stick with it, whether it works today or not, next week or not, next month or not, next year or not. We stay the course at all costs, knowing love never fails.

“Our patience should come from our belief in the truth, in love, and in God’s Word.”

I think this pandemic, the long quarantines, the conflicts and fear have tried everyone’s patience. This will be a different Father’s Day for every Dad, son and daughter.

But patience -- that long, steady push in the same direction of truth helps make the trials of these days positive life lessons for all of us.

Laus Deo,

Kenny