When patience pays

This is blog No 2 for Abudhabi diaries, and the last one is coming in the next week! I had wanted to visit Abu Dhabi for a long time. So when I finally did, I booked my room early enough which made it super affordable. The thought of being on a long hour bus drive excited me. So I woke up early, got all prepared and was set to go. The 3 hours drive was blissful! Yet I was eager to arrive.

Upon check-in, the receptionist after confirming my name informed me that there was a delegation that had checked in and all the rooms were full. I did not quite understand but I remember getting worked up and upset because I did not anticipate anything like that. You know, It was my right to get a room in the hotel I had booked way prior. I put out my disappointment to her and in the middle of me going on and on she said something that I could tell she had wanted to say ever since our conversation started.

"So we have upgraded you to our five-star hotel which is close by. Do you have a car or would you like us to drive you there?'' The hotel I had booked was a four-star and so that sounded good, though I still went ahead to insist that that is the hotel I had booked, the one I had seen, and so I did not appreciate anything different. Is it not funny how even though she told me that it was an upgrade to a five-star hotel and assured me that it was good I still insisted on what I knew because it is what I thought was good? Isn't that the way we sometimes limit God based on what we know instead of trusting Him for what He knows is best? Because I was out of options, I took her word for it. They drove me to the other hotel which for sure looked good from the outside looking in. The problem showed up during check in when I was told that they can not check me in without my Emirates ID. I couldn't find the purse that often holds it. So I gave all the documents I had in soft for proof of my legitimacy, It was becoming really hard to check in and at that time I was reasonably getting agitated. So I pulled out the phrase that works Magic over here. "I want to speak with your manager" lol! (tip for free). The receptionist asked me to have a sit for 2 minutes. 2 became 4, 4 became 10, 10 became 20. I was getting really impatient, and the guy was busy checking in other guests. And...no manager had come to "speak with me". Everyone that was at the reception when I checked in had already been served. And I was sited there alone. Wondering what was wrong with me. That was annoying. So I did an experiment and decided that because he can see that am waiting, I will wait until he figures its time to help me. That was not easy, I had to sing the Fruits of the Holy spirit song over and over. Almost skipping out Patience!

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."(James 1:19-20)

As I waited, I decided to go through my bags again and Alas! there goes my ID holder Purse. Sometimes when you take a step back, stay calm, let go and let God, in that sanity, you will discover and learn things you couldn't have learnt caught up in impatience and the uneasiness that comes with it. I walked up to the guy and handed the ID to him with some hint of pride and went like-"Can I get a room now?" You can imagine my disappointment when he asked me to still have a seat. How! In the spirit of patience, I went back to the coach and made my self comfortable with a cup of tea. After a few minutes, the receptionist called me out and apologized for my waiting. And then he said something interesting. "Maam, I will upgrade you to a club room as an appreciation from my side for your patience" Wow! if only he knew! He handed me the key and off I was to my 18th Floor club room! Club rooms are basically rooms in a hotel that are better than the standard hotel rooms. They are mainly given to the hotel's most valued and loyal guests.

Checking into my room, It was Beautiful! and guess what else, next door was the Presidential suite! That means that I could have easily rubbed shoulders-literally-with some important people.

Do you realize that I got a double upgrade? Do you realize how impatient I was getting comparing myself with others who had already been served? Isn't that the same way we get impatient and start to compare ourselves with our friends and other people who seem to be ahead of us.

Feel encouraged, for when God is preparing you for something greater, It may take a little longer than it takes for others.

Be patient. If I had not decided to be patient but instead to push the receptionist, he could have definitely checked me in quickly. To any available room. Do not be that person that gets checked in quickly to any room! Instead, I urge you to trust the process and wait patiently for God's best. Every single detail in my room was plated in gold. It was amazing. I felt so humbled considering the amount of money I had paid for my stay.

It only happened for me to be there because I was upgraded twice.

The first upgrade alone was not enough to land me next to the presidential suite. I had to continue exercising patience, tollerance and humility even in the midst of my elevated position. Patience upgraded me.

This lesson on patience was very timely for me because it came at a time when I was doubting the baby steps I was taking in my walk with God. To confirm this lesson on patience, God presented to me another scenario on my way back home. I travelled next to a beautiful lady from Morocco. We did not speak, except when we were departing, I offered her biscuits which she rejected. We started to speak when the journey a little got too long.

Our conversation grew so, fast so naturally. She got to share some very personal stuff about what was going on in her life and I got the chance to encourage her and pray for her.

Now that we had become friends I offered her my digestive biscuits again and she took the whole packet! Honesty there is no way I intended to give her the whole thing! No, I just have this amazing relationship with my sweet things...but its alright!

So, when she took the biscuits It crossed my mind to give her something else. I had this beautiful designer Arabic perfume (not what you think, it smelled really good) that had ben gifted to me in my bag. I was developing a sure liking for it so that was hard, but I decided to do it anyway. Giving is is not supposed to be easy.

The traffic intensified and she got very impatient. She tried twice to alight before our destination , the place where I was to give her this gift. My bag was in the luggage section.

I had a hard time trying to convince her to stay, as we were almost there. I even had to pray for her patience. If only she knew I had something for her! We were very close to the bus station and the traffic was moving, but her impatience grew with every passing minute.Just being honest at some point I thought like maybe she did not deserve the gift.

I couldn't help but think that maybe sometimes God is looking at us wishing that we could be patient for just a little, wondering if we knew how close we are to receiving the promises he made to us or the answer to the prayers we have been praying . Or maybe sometimes He is just watching to see how we carry ourselves in times when we are in waiting.

"We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." (Hebrews 6:12)

I was hoping that she could just wait. I really wanted to give her the gift though I could not tell her that I had something for her. I wanted it to be a pleasant surprise to uplift her low spirit. I understood though, that she would not know there was something else to be given, besides the biscuits. Fortunately she waited until we got to the bus station and I got a chance to grant her my gift. Which she loved!

At that point I was amazed how God had allowed me to experience the value of patience from both perspectives. From a giving and receiving point of view. When I was impatient not knowing the receptionist was working on upgrading my room, and when my friend was impatient on the bus not knowing I had something for her. I got a feel of what usually is happening on either end.

Many times I get impatient so fast when something, including those I know God has ordained, does not work out as fast as I envisioned or planned. So this was my lesson on patience, and I would add tolerance and humility because you have to exercise a lot of that while waiting.

"We were given this hope when we were saved. If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently."(Romans 8:24-25)

I urge you not to settle for anything less of God's promises but to make the choice to wait patiently. It is doable, it is bearable.

"But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

The Lord bless you and keep you in His promises

Lots of Love,

Joanna