“Kait, do you like books?”
“Yes, Mikey, I love books. Do you like books?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your favourite book?”
“Star Wars. Do you like Star Wars?”
“I do, but I’ve only seen one Star Wars movie.”
*10 minutes later*
“Hey Kait, do you like Star Wars?”
“Yes, Mikey, I like Star Wars a lot.”
"Do you believe in Jesus?"
"I love Jesus."
"I love Jesus and Star Wars. Do you like Star Wars?"
As I move through my day at the disability center – painting the fence, working on crafts, scrubbing paint off the floor – I seem to have the same sort of conversation with Mikey each time I see him.
He meanders from person to person, stopping occasionally to ask questions or help peel some painter’s tape from around the windows.
When he reaches me, he once again asks his favourite question: “Kait, do you like Star Wars?”
Without even hesitating to think or inwardly groaning because he asked me the same question about ten times, I gently respond: “I really like Star Wars, Mikey.”
Why does patience come so easily to me when I’m asked the same thing over and over by someone I barely know, but I struggle so much with patiently loving my own teammates?
Several days ago, we were hanging out as a team, and the topic of how we treat each other came up.
It began as a light-hearted conversation about how well we know each other after being together 24/7, but quickly turned into a discussion about how we sometimes take that a little too far and are actually mean to each other.
We know that we love each other – each and every day we tell each other with words and it’s demonstrated with the way we serve one another.
But sometimes we forget how the way we say things, the way we respond to questions that are asked, can hurt just as much as the actual words.
We’ve discovered how easy it is to forget how we should be talking to each other.
When you’re around the same people all day, every day, you get to a point where you’re so comfortable with the people in your life that your patience level begins to steadily go down.
It’s a sad reality, and one that we’ve realized we need to carefully monitor daily.
The truth is, we love each other and we love being around each other!
So why is it so difficult – it’s literally a daily struggle – to speak to each other with the patience and love we undeservingly receive from our Creator?
We each chose to embark on these 11 months of serving and loving people around the world, yes.
But when we signed up for the World Race, we were also making a decision to serve and love the community that we’re living in, the people we see every day and who we do life with.
I never want to ever get to a place with my sisters where we forget that we deserve to be spoken to with love.
The first step is being aware of the ways we need to grow as a team – the second step is walking in that growth.
This is my promise to my sisters: I promise to love you not only in what I say to you or how I serve you, but also how I speak to you and respond to you.
I promise to walk in patience in every aspect of our lives together these next 4 months.
I promise to never forget how much I love you, and to treat you with the respect you deserve out of the overflow of that love.
You’re my sisters and it’s my joy to serve you and love you in every way the Lord desires for my relationships here on earth.
“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care – then do me a favour: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” (Philippians 2:1-4, MSG).
