St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Kingman shared a reflection in the Sept. 20 bulletin about depending on God. 

The Rev. Victor Yakuba noted that teachers have a very difficult job and must try to remain patient with their students regardless of their aptitude for learning. 

“Every teacher is key to a student’s learning," Yakuba said. "It is the responsibility of the student to develop learning techniques independently and assimilate those hard theories."

Teachers want to see their students thrive, but that is not what will happen for every student. 

While teachers are incredibly patient in most situations, sometimes they do lose their patience with us. God, however, never loses his patience or care for us. 

“While some respond quickly to his invitation to his vineyard, others are slow doing so," Yakuba said. "God does not annihilate those who respond late. Rather, he welcomes them and gives them equal status with the early comers."

While every individual has the same opportunity to hear the word of the Lord and respond to it, not all will accept it. God, however, does not stop loving a person simply because they are a sinner. Rather, he is always merciful and will hear the prayers of an individual when they are ready to come to him, no matter how long they wait in this life. 

“The simple thing to do is to appreciate our humanity and work our way toward God with our human limitations," Yakuba said. "He is there to help us individually. While others are deep into sin, his love does not bypass them.”

God’s patience gives us hope that even when we or those we love struggle, he is always waiting with open arms for us to turn to him for guidance. 

“God is patient with us," Fr. Yakuba said. "He will not yell at us simply because we are not living his teachings. And like every good teacher, his contact info is open to everyone."