Tony Parker and Patience

You can’t live in San Antonio these days without being crazy for the Spurs.  On second thought, I guess you can, but you might not want to admit it. I think there are always great lessons to be learned from watching a basketball game, especially the Spurs.  Let’s rewind back to the first game of the Finals.

The lesson? Patience. The teacher? Tony Parker.  Who doesn’t know about the miraculous shot Parker made with 24 seconds left in the game?   With three minutes left on the clock, the Heat coach, Erik Spoelstra, gave Lebron James the dubious task of guarding Parker.  As the clock wound down, Parker seemed to have nowhere to go, trying to run out the clock, losing the ball, getting it back and finally making the shot.  THE shot.  Parker went on to say “Whoever they put on me, I just have to keep playing the same way and be patient.  I think for me it’s the big key in this series is to be patient.”  Wisdom, at its best. 

If we’re honest, we could all use a good dose of Tony Parker’s patience.  What makes you lose your patience? Crazy drivers? Waiting at a doctor’s office?  Unruly children? Impossible expectations? Physical ailments? We all have those things that cause us to lose it.  Patience is a virtue, but what does that mean?  Could you define patience, if you were asked?  James Spiegel writes “Patience is waiting without complaint.  To be patient is to endure discomfort without complaint. This calls into play some other virtues, specifically self-control, humility, and generosity.”  Would those closest to you consider you a patient person? 

Our waiting has a purpose.  Being able to wait patiently is a beautiful quality, admirable to those around you.  Why not ponder this great question…. “At the end of each day, remember the things you have waited for throughout the day.  What did you wait for patiently?  Where did you lose patience?  Listen to what God wants to say to you about your waiting.”  (Adele Calhoun, Invitations from God)

 Nancy Abbott serves as Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.