Lord, let me be silent

when my desire to judge
exceeds my capacity to love
when my pleasure in speaking
exceeds my ability to listen
when my satisfaction in teaching
exceeds my willingness to learn

Lord, let me wait

when the pressure to act
displaces my prayer
when the urge to give up
tightens its snare
when the world says faster
but you say slow down

you cannot build a temple
on a hasty foundation
and you cannot dig a deep well
without patience  

those houses are shaken and fall
and shallow wells quickly run dry
success is not measured in building tall
but in how little of the earth
and how much of heaven
remains and lives in the man