“...with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love...” -Ephesians 4:2
“Not acquaintances, Mr. Kemper, friends. Dear friends from days gone by. My late husband Ephraim Levi believed in life and anyplace you could find it — cafes, ballrooms, yes even theatres!” -Dolly Levi, Hello, Dolly!
Relationships require patience: parent to child, husband to wife, and friend to friend. One of the most beautiful elements of Hello, Dolly! is the friendships between the characters. As relationships develop over the course of the musical, the audience comes to understand how important patience is when dealing with others, even when the other is a friend.
Cornelius and Barnaby may be a decade apart in age, but they share the same drab existence in the employment of Mr. Vandergelder. Being 28 and ¾ years old, Cornelius naturally gravitates to the position of leader in the friendship with Barnaby becoming the lovable sidekick. Being clerks at Vandergelder’s Hay and Feed Company means a daily abundance of boredom. Even the holidays are less than exciting as Cornelius remarks: “Did you forget what we did last Christmas? All those canned tomatoes went bad and exploded and you and I cleaned up the mess all afternoon. Do you call that living?” Cornelius must exercise a great deal of patience with Barnaby as the latter seems reluctant to join in the adventure of seeing New York. However, because he knows his friend well, Cornelius appeals to Barnaby’s interest in animals and promises a visit to see the stuffed whale at Barnum’s Museum. Barnaby must also exercise patience with Cornelius and his eagerness to throw caution to the wind and leave the store unattended. Throughout their adventure, Barnaby continuously reminds Cornelius that their pocket money is in short supply. The young and adventurous duo reminds the audience of the importance of patience in friendship.
Jesus is the ultimate example of patience. The Scriptures point specifically to His patience in His relationship with us, His followers. We were desperately lost and mired in sin, and yet, Jesus did not wait for us to get our act together. Rather, He stepped into the human story at precisely the right moment to save us. Romans 5:8 reminds us of the great patience of our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus: “...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” If you are waiting to get your life together before approaching Jesus, please don’t wait. Jesus knows you better than you even know yourself. He loves you so much that while we were still His enemies, He sacrificed His life for us on the cross, atoning for all our sin. His life, death, and resurrection represent His patient love for us. Please accept the gift of His perfect and patient love today.
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