Patience, Perseverance and Tongue Burn

Recently, I lit a bowl of tobacco and found that I could not taste it.  I tried 3 different blends (two different latakia blends and a straight VA).  Everything just had no taste (like drinking a glass of water).  Even my coffee had no taste.  It was pouring rain at the time, and I was sitting on my front porch trying to smoke a pipe.  I figured that the super high humidity was causing the problem. I went in and brushed my teeth and tongue really well, and realized that I could not taste anything!  Not even the toothpaste.  This was not good, as the taste and smell of the tobacco is one of the things that really make pipe smoking enjoyable.  To say I was devastated is an understatement.  I had finally done what I had only heard about but never experienced.  I had burned my tongue!  In a panic, I posted to a forum I am a member of and asked for advice from those much more knowledgeable that I.  I got advice and a time frame.  Do what I can to avoid or stop a cold from forming, and wait for a minimum of two days.  Ugh!  2 days without a pipe seems like an eternity! I also got advice on how to avoid tongue burn in the future.  Basically, I was most likely smoking my tobacco too wet.  I needed to let it dry out more.  Living in the Houston area, it is very rare for our relative humidity to drop below 60%  This equates to very long tobacco drying times.  I am not a patient person, BTW.  What to do?  What to do?  First, I asked my wife to make some chicken and dumplings.  It is my favorite meal, and chicken soup had been a suggestion for staying healthy.  Second, I pulled out some 'baccy to dry.  I let it dry for a full 24 hrs before my next smoke.  It was a LONG 24 hrs. But, the 'baccy felt bone dry after that time, and I packed it in my pipe.  It wasn't the best smoke, but my tongue was starting to heal.  I could taste a little more of the smoke, and it was very enjoyable.  So, I started pulling out the baccy I wanted to smoke and started letting it dry a minimum of an hour or two before I would pack it in a pipe and light it.  After 3 days of drier than normal tobacco, and very slow sipping, my taste has returned!  I have also enjoyed some wonderful chicken and dumplings that my wife was kind enough to make for me. I have learned a bit more about patience and tongue burn, but also about perseverance.  I didn't give up, I just kept trying different things until I was able to figure out how to fix the problem, not just the burned tongue.  Now, I am letting the baccy dry out more (patience again) before I pack it and light it.  My tongue is thanking me for it with more flavor and better, drier smokes.

I was reading the scriptures tonight and read the verse of the day in my Bible app that I have installed on my Windows 8.1 laptop.  It is Hebrews 10:35-37.

35)Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward

36) for you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:

37)"For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry"

These few verses reminded me of my road trip I took in June of this year.  I had been really struggling, and basically going through an existential crisis.  I had been praying that God would speak to me and show me what He wanted me to do.  I had been seeking specific direction from God, and didn't have an answer.  I had committed to listening to Him on this trip, and not letting things distract me, like the radio, Cd's, or music player.  I usually listen to music when on the road.  I was driving along through southeastern Oklahoma and praying when I felt that I should turn the radio on.  I came across a Christian talk radio station where a fellow was preaching.  It was on perseverance.  The next sermon was on overcoming, The next, perseverance again.  The whole trip, every sermon or scripture I heard or read happened to be on that same subject.  It finally got through my thick skull what God was trying to tell me.  He wanted me to be patient, and rely on His strength to persevere and overcome the obstacles I was facing at that time.  Duh!  It doesn't take a genius to see that is what He was trying to say to me.  But, I have never been accused of being the sharpest tool in the shed, especially when emotions are involved.  I tend to react swiftly instead of thinking things over when I am calmer.  He then gave me a very clear promise which I hold dear and make sure to thank him for every day.  My part of the promise was to persevere and to take His hand and walk with Him every day.  I try to do so, but fail a lot.  However, thanks to His never ending Grace and Mercy, I can get up and try again.  He is faithful, even when we are not.    The Bible verse I quote most often is Galatians 6:9  "And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not".  This scripture reminds me that as long as I keep pressing forward, that God will keep His word at the right time.