Christ is at the center of all our work at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. God is our hero. To stay grounded in our work, Chaplain Rick Jones sends out a Ranch daily devotional email. All of the devotions are potent, and every once in a while, one makes me stop in my tracks.
People who know me really well, know that patience is not easy for me. I have learned over the years, and I know "Patience is a sign of maturity," but it is still something I quietly struggle to practice. Then, on July 25th, this Bible passage was at the top of Chaplain's devotion:
Lamentations 3:25-26
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Shoot, so God expects me to be patient, too? Well, that takes it to a new level. But the rest of the devotion so perfectly brought into focus how we, as a culture, don't wait well: "Patience is a virtue. But it is not a virtue we want. We get impatient with the events of our lives. We want results now. We want instant feedback. In a world of 4g, touch screens, and text messaging, patience can be a tall order. We even take our medications in gel tabs so our bodies can absorb it more quickly. It is clear that we do not like to wait for things."
It is no wonder that as we go about our work at the Ranch, we want things to happen, NOW. We want the kids to heal, NOW. We want families to function well, NOW. We want addictions to be conquered, NOW. But that is not how it works. Healing comes in its own time. And, at the Ranch, we work hard, and with purpose and, yes, sometimes we struggle impatiently...while at the same time, we wait quietly and know it is in His time, not ours.
Thank you for being a part of the Ranch family.
In His love,
Joy Ryan, President/CEO
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch