Do you think that rabbit came out? Not even close! Then the teacher made a suggestion: "Children, why don't we all back up to the edge of the rug and sit very still and be very quiet and see if the rabbit will come out by himself." Not a chance, I thought to myself. If that rabbit's got half a brain, he'll stay as far back in that cage as he can. But sure enough, after a few minutes of quiet, that rabbit came to the opening of the cage, sniffed around a bit, and then hopped right out to the middle of the rug, and even made it's way over to some of the kids, who this time gently patted and spoke to it. How many times do we make the same mistake with people - especially nonbelievers? We pounce on them. We talk at them. We try all sorts of things to fix them or to get them to do what we want them to do. But sometimes the best thing we can do is just back off, sit still, be quiet, and wait until they're ready to come out in the open and receive whatever God wants to do in their lives. That's patience. That's what I would call redemptive waiting.
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