Patience is relative to the urgency of the matter, but how you wait is important to the success of that which you are waiting for.

For instance, two people are in line at Starbucks waiting on their coffee, but one is running late for an appointment, while the other is an hour ahead of schedule. Both are waiting, but one is waiting in a hurry.

The one running late finally pays and gets the coffee, heads out the door, gets in and starts the car, drives off and then realizes the coffee does not taste like he wanted it. He forgot to add the creamer and sugar, but he settled, because he didn’t have time to go back and make it right. Even if he adds the cream and sugar when he arrives at work, it’s not going to be as good as it could have been.

Ask yourself this important question: “Did I drive away in a rush and settle for something I didn’t really have a taste for?” By now you understand that the question of how you wait is not about coffee, but relationships.

More than ever, people around the world are settling. Their patience is running thin, and so they dive into marriage and pray that they will be able to make it right when they arrive at the altar, only to find out on their honeymoon that the thrill is gone.

The way you wait will add value to that which you are waiting for. So don’t be vulnerable, just be ready.

The reality is this: The guy who was waiting could have just communicated to the Maker at the counter not just what he wanted, but how he wanted it. God bless.

Domenick Epps is a Suffolk resident, real estate agent and youth pastor. Email him at DomenickEpps.Realtor@gmail.com.a