When I grow up, seven traits I would like to have...

...to work in stillness, wait in strength...

I find these lyrics surprising.
  
I though a person needs strength to work, and stillness to wait.  But this writer--Stopford A. Brooke-- is begging God for the ability to work in stillness, wait in strength.  
Maybe Mr. Brooke was like me...frantically flailing through the work day, and then collapsing, comatose.  Maybe he, too, needed the stillness to fight off the work-day craze, but strength to be productive on his own time.

I could use some stillness at work....some stillness of heart when two people need urgent surgery at once, some stillness of spirit when duplicity appears, some stillness of speech with an anxious patient or family member.

I could use some strength when I'm waiting, to recover, to pick up the pieces, to be productive rather than pass out.  

I blabbered to my aunt just tonight about all the traits I wish I had....

When I grow up, I want to eat whole grains and eggs for breakfast and fish and stir-fry for lunch and a salad for dinner and judiciously choose a dessert once every quarter.  

When I grow up, I want to casually run three miles every morning and not even think about it because it's so routine. 

When I grow up, I want to wash my dishes in a timely fashion and always have my laundry neatly folded and never run out of towels because it's been too long since I last did laundry. 

When I grow up, I want to never forget someone's birthday or special occasion, and always have heartfelt things to send to people. 

When I grow up, I want to neatly skim the ice off my November steps and sprinkle them with a hospitable layer of salt, and not leave my frozen geraniums out until Thanksgiving.  

When I grow up, I want to be able to graciously smile despite every offense, every duplicity, every hurt, and curl up under God's shield of protection when the arrows flying at me are just too much for me to handle.

Yes, that's what I want most of all. 

When I grow up, I want to work in stillness, and wait in strength. 

To see the rest of the lyrics, or buy the song from Oasis Chorale