Thank You for Your Persistence

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“Hello, this is the Patterson’s, please leave a message!” the familiar, welcoming voice spoke for the third time.  For the third time we left the message.  “We’re in town, we’d love to see you, give us a call.”  This time, though, we were sitting outside the Patterson’s house, listening to the phone ring.  I was looking through the open screened widow at a beautiful art piece of Ben Patterson with his hand raised, a gathering of students responding with arms raised and the unseen angels portrayed in the rafters of Dimnet Chapel of Hope College where Ben was chaplain for three of my four years. Yes, I was stalking my college chaplain outside his house in California.  I had called his office, and, after seeing his son, who attended our rival high school, the secretary called me back and said, “He’s on his way home, and so is Loretta.”  I didn’t know what they’d think of me…14 years after graduating college, intruding on their lives.  I felt silly.

Then Loretta Patterson burst through the door, with elation written on her face and gathered my pregnant self in her arms in singing laughter, giving me a solid hug.  She held me at arms length and eyes beaming declared, “You’re beautiful.”  A much more subdued, but equally warm welcome came from Ben as he arrived, briefcase in hand and said, “Hi Christy!” 

As we left, an hour later, after sharing a bit of our journeys together, Ben said, “Thank you for your persistence.” I responded jokingly, “Maybe persistence is my spiritual gift.”  We took a picture, and got into the car.   

As we pulled away, I said to Zach, “I don’t actually think persistence is my spiritual gift…I don’t persist very well in prayer.”  In wisdom he responded, “Maybe it is…you just need to start using it in prayer.” 

May God help me to be a persistent person in prayer, as I am determined in so many other areas of my life.   May I want to see Him so much that I seek him out, call many times, go to his place, look in his “windows”, and wait for him to show up!