I really love peanut butter. And my idea of a great snack is a slice of wheat toast with a nice coat of Jif. I know it might not sound that appetizing, but I guess I never outgrew my affinity for peanut butter from when I was a little girl. See, when I was a kid, my siblings and I thought peanut butter on the spoon was just as good a treat as penny candy from the store. No bread. No jelly. Just peanut butter and a tablespoon.
Well, anyway, it might be a kiddie snack, but I still like my peanut butter toast.
Do not judge me. :-)
So yesterday, when my toast popped up, I hurriedly opened the jar, because the peanut butter MUST go on the toast while it’s still hot of course. In went the butter knife, and out came peanut butter with gobs of jelly in it.
Gross.
Awww man, I mumbled while trying to separate the jelly from the peanut butter. I couldn’t help thinking that my delicious toast was growing colder with each passing second.
I knew exactly what had gone wrong, too.
The younger children are tapping into their independence. And they really enjoy making their own PB & J sandwiches here lately. Even though I supervise and coach them through the process, they still manage to make quite a bit of a mess… just as we do while trying to develop in specific areas.
Unlike children, however, many of us don’t have as much patience through the process. We don’t enjoy our times of learning and development the way they do. Adults like to start something new one day, and master it by the next. We tend to get frustrated with the learning curve.
But everything is a process, no matter what it is. Whether it’s a kid learning to tie her shoe, or an adult learning the best method to teach a kid how to tie that same shoe, it all takes time. Mastery requires practice. And dealing with life’s learning curves with a good attitude takes lots of patience.
The kind I must operate in while standing by (cringing and all), and allowing the kids to make their own sandwiches.
I think, however, going forward, I might want to invest in my own jar of peanut butter.
Just a thought.
Today’s Prayer: Lord, help me to be patient with myself as you allow me to face new and challenging situations. I may not learn overnight, but with you as my teacher, all I need to know will be revealed to me in time. I ask that, like a child, you give me patience and joy through the learning process. I thank you in Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time… may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs