The Person in Front of Me

DARE Woman,

Last week, God used a roundabout to teach me something about my own heart.

I was driving behind a learner driver approaching a busy roundabout. We came to a stop. There was a gap — at least, from where I was sitting, it looked like there was. But the learner didn’t move.

Another opportunity came. Still nothing. Another. And another.

As the moments passed, I could feel impatience quietly rising within me. I wasn’t saying anything out loud, but my heart was becoming increasingly restless.

“Come on… You could have gone. You’re taking too long.”

Then, almost as quickly as those thoughts came, the Holy Spirit interrupted mine.

“You know they’re learning… don’t you?”

That simple thought silenced me.

Of course they were learning. That’s why the large “L” was displayed on the car.

What I had interpreted as hesitation was actually inexperience.

What I had called delay was someone trying to make a safe decision.

What I viewed as an inconvenience was someone courageously doing something they had never done before.

Suddenly, I wasn’t looking at an obstacle anymore.

I was looking at a learner.

And then a deeper question settled into my heart.

How often does God show me the patience I struggled to extend to someone else?

How many times have I hesitated because I was unsure? How many times have I needed to ask Him for wisdom before taking the next step? How many opportunities has He allowed me to learn — without condemning me for not getting it right immediately?

If God dealt with me the way I had been responding in my heart that morning, I wonder how discouraged I would be.

Instead, He teaches. He waits. He guides. He encourages. He gives me room to grow.

This moment also made me wonder how often we expect people to perform at a level they haven’t yet reached.

We become frustrated with our children — because they are still learning.

We become impatient with new believers — because they don’t yet know what we know.

We become critical of colleagues — because they don’t work the way we would.

We become disappointed in others — for not seeing what experience has already taught us.

Yet every expert was once a beginner.

Every confident driver was once gripping the wheel with nervous hands.

Every mature believer was once taking their first uncertain steps of faith.

Perhaps love looks like remembering that.

Perhaps patience is born when we choose compassion over convenience.

As I reflected on that moment, I realised something else.

Impatience often reveals that I have made my agenda more important than another person’s growth.

I wanted to get where I was going.

God wanted to show me where I was.

Sometimes the greatest delays in our day become the greatest invitations for God to shape our character.

The learner driver eventually found the confidence to move.

And so did I — not through the roundabout, but into a deeper awareness of the patience God extends to me every single day.

This week, I am asking the Lord to help me see people through His eyes — to remember that many of the people I encounter are simply learners in different areas of life.

• Some are learning to lead.

• Some are learning to trust.

• Some are learning to parent.

• Some are learning to heal.

• Some are learning to follow Jesus.

And perhaps, instead of asking “Why are they taking so long?”

I need to ask, “How can I reflect the patience God has shown me?”

Reflection Questions

• Where has impatience revealed something about my own heart?

• Am I expecting maturity from someone who is still learning?

• How has God been patient with me in areas where I am still growing?

• Who can I extend grace and understanding to this week?

• What interruption might God be using to shape my character — rather than simply delay my plans?

Prayer

Father, thank You for Your incredible patience with me. Forgive me for the moments when I have been quick to judge, slow to understand, and impatient with people who are still learning.

Give me eyes to see others with compassion, remembering how gracious You have been toward me. Form in me a heart that values people more than my schedule, and character more than convenience.

May my patience become a reflection of Yours.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Yours in DARE-ing and Becoming,
Nkonye Odozi