Understanding Patience Through Creation

When I was younger I spent a season living in the beautiful Daintree rainforest of far North Queensland. Having grown up in the city of Brisbane, more than 1,800 kms south, I was constantly learning new things about life in the rainforest. One of the most significant learning experiences I had was an introduction to Calamus-australis, a seemingly common plant, but one with a secret.

Sharp hooks on the plant can snag the clothing of walkers, giving rise to the name "wait-a-while".

(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

Understanding Patience Through Creation

Calamus-australis, also known as the wait-a-while plant is literally a plant you have to spend some time looking at, if you are exploring the Daintree rainforest.

Why?

Because the wait-a-while plant, forces you to wait a while, to disentangle yourself from it’s barbs if you have accidentally brushed past it!

I remember a humorous situation early in my stay at Cape Tribulation, while walking with a group of friends through the rainforest. We had moved off the main walking track to look at some amazing trees with huge vines wrapped around them and in the process, had unwittingly passed by a wait-a-while plant. Well one of us got stuck on the plant, and while we were trying to help them, a couple more of us got caught as well. We were forced to wait quite a while, as we extracted ourselves carefully from it’s thorns.

No Matter How Hard You Pull, Or How Mad You Get, You Are Not Going Anywhere Until You Calm Down And Think

Getting Free

To free yourself from a Wait-a-while (Lawyer Vine), you must stop, "wait-a-while," and carefully untangle the hooked spines from your skin and clothes to avoid further injury or damage. Keep walking and you will tear your clothes and scratch your skin.  

How to get unstuck:

1. Stop and assess: Don't keep walking, as this will cause more damage. 

2. Locate the hook: Find the specific hooks that have snagged on your clothing or skin. 

3. Untangle slowly: Carefully pull or pick the hooks free from the fabric or skin. You may need to use a tool or even try to "flick" the spines away, but be gentle to avoid causing more injury. 

4. Look for other hooks: Once one hook is free, check for other points where the vine is snagged and repeat the untangling process. 

3 Things Patience Teaches You

1. You are not in control of every situation

2. Lacking patience can make a bad situation worse

3. Sometimes you have to submit and learn from life.

   
   

   God Bless