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Patience

Sean was the pilot. His wife and their twins were the passengers, as well as the family dog. They needed to get from Denver to Moab, Utah, in their twin-engine plane to visit relatives. Sean had to work longer than expected, so it was after dinner before they were able to take off. Now running late, he quickly buckled the kids into their seats, hoping to make up the time.

“It’s a short trip. We should get there soon after sunset,” he assured his wife.

The problem was, Sean was not certified to fly after dark.

While soaring over high mountains lower than he should have, the family encountered high winds. Investigations showed the aircraft was only 1,000 feet off the ground, going 450 miles per hour, when it hit the trees, exploding upon impact.

Firefighter Camden Wilhelm, responded to the incident that decimated the little plane and its passengers. Even with all his training and preparation, the event shook Camden to the core.

“The devastation was gruesome,” he says. “The forest was littered with gore. There was nothing recognizable left of the family. After that, I found another career. I couldn’t do that again.”

Sadly, Sean's refusal to regroup and develop another plan ultimately caused his demise. First responders also face impatience. Waiting for backup, waiting for vital signs, waiting for evidence results, waiting for a court date, waiting for the shift to end.

Time is of the essence when saving lives or stopping crime. Often, each passing minute means something critical is happening—something that can't be reversed. But the same can be said about rushing into things before counting the cost, and the tragic results are just as irreversible. That's why protocols are put in place: to stop tragedy. And as hard as it is to wait, we must. Scripture tells us not to be anxious about anything (Phil 4:6).

It's when we don't fully understand how big God is that we find ourselves fretting to finish things ourselves, in our own timing. When we doubt God can do the job, we attempt to take over. After all, we don't have all day!

Camden still reflects on that night in the Rockies. “What a sad price to pay for lack of patience. That father’s bad decisions taught me not to rush into decisions—to use wisdom and be more careful with my own family.”

Whether you’re waiting for drivers to respond to your sirens or waiting for the bathroom, learning to relinquish our restless agitation and sit calmly is what our Father longs from us all. The rewards are awesome, according to Isaiah 40:31.

Next time you want to rush, think of worst-case scenarios. What’s the worst that could happen by waiting? Think of ways to cultivate patience and the other fruits of the spirit in your life (Gal 5:22) .