Patience and Trust

Patience and Trust
James 5.7-12

When my sister and I were reckoned to be old enough not to need a babysitter any more, my parents occasionally went out for the evening, leaving us on our own. Normally this worked fine. We could see to ourselves, the front door was locked, and in any case the world seemed a safer place in those days. But one evening, for some reason, I began to worry. I have no idea why, but instead of going to sleep as usual I stayed awake and fretted. Surely they would come soon! I guessed their likely time of return; it came and went, and still no sign of them. I could hear cars on the main road, and I listened eagerly for one to turn up our street. Occasionally one did – but then it drove on by. After a while all sorts of thoughts crept over me. Supposing something had happened to them? What if there had been an accident? Perhaps they wouldn’t come, not that night, not ever? I think my sister must have been asleep by then, because she would have told me not to be silly, but I ended up sitting by the window, cold with fear, hardly able to believe it when eventually the car turned up our road, stopped, and there were my parents safe and sound after a good evening, and puzzled that I would have been anxious...

Taken from Early Christian Letters For Everyone by Tom Wright