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A Time of Waiting and Patience |
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Written by Jim Barr
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Monday, 16 April 2007 |
I told my Mason friend from church that I was reading the book "Freemasons For Dummies". Though he had not heard of it, he was pleased to see that I was taking the initiative to learn and study Freemasonry. I told him that I was getting anxious about waiting for the process to unfold, and he said that this is "a time of waiting and patience". In some Lodges, things can move forward very quickly. In others, things can take a while. For me, it seems to be the later. I want things to move forward, and I know they are (apparantly a lot happens behind the scenes) it's just that sometimes I don't like waiting. But you know, it's a good lesson in patience that I'm grateful for.
I'm really enjoying reading and learning the history of Freemasonry. I'm almost done with the "Freemasons For Dummies" book, and I continue to be fascinated by what it presents. For example, I never knew that the Boy Scounts and its honor organization the "Order Of The Arrow" (OA) had some roots in Freemasonry. While they are not Masonic organizations, many of their founders were Masons, and Masonic influence is very evident in ceremonies and moral teachings. This really hit home for me because I received the Eagle Scout award while I was a Scout, and I was elected by my troop to receive the Ordeal honor in OA (“Ordeal” being the the first "level" of OA) and I later took the Brotherhood honor. In college, I pledged the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, which is an offshoot of the Boy Scouts. It did have its social elements, but its main goal was brotherhood and service.
So I do have some familiarity with involvement in fraternal organizations, and I have had the honor of achieving goals of moral and fraternal importance. As an adult, I am no longer active in these organizations, but interestingly, the Scout Oath and Law, and the OA Obligation do cross my mind frequently. I guess the lessons I learned as a child form those organizations have stuck with me.
So, as I continue to wait and be patient, I also continue to read my book, and explore online. Despite the proliferation of anti-Masonic articles, there are many informative and interesting articles and blogs to explore. It's very interesting to read the history of Freemasonry, how it has influenced society, and, more importantly, what other Masons went through and how they perceive Freemasonry.
This is my fifth article about my experience in Freemasonry.
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