THE THING ABOUT PATIENCE

Adriel Garcia

Ever get stuck in traffic or behind someone moving so slowly they are going to make you late for something extremely important? You have an appointment you can’t miss, and they will cancel if you don’t show up within a 10 minute window. You have a job interview that could change your life and your family’s life forever. If you don’t get your child to the game on time, the team will have to forfeit and it will be all your fault!

This often happens to me. Many times there is no obvious reason for the holdup especially in traffic. Then sometimes after the slow poke in front of me FINALLY turns off, I race to get to my destination only to find an accident that could have been me if this slow moving vehicle hadn’t interrupted my commute.

Then sometimes after the slow poke in front of me FINALLY turns off, I race to get to my destination only to find an accident that could have been me if this slow moving vehicle hadn’t interrupted my commute.

After talking to others who experience the same struggles, I have come to appreciate the interruptions in my travels and even in my life. When I find myself getting frustrated in traffic or wanting to pass the “turtle”in front of me on the double yellow lines, I whisper a “thank you” to God for knowing what is up ahead even when I don’t. That is something that has taken a lot, of time to practice, and even when I don’t mean it, I still speak it, knowing my feelings will catch up.

Patience takes deliberate effort. It is a very difficult concept to utilize because, as sinful human beings, we are naturally impatient. The dictionary definition is “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset” (Google). Therefore, the opposite of patience is impatience, the act of not waiting or not tolerating something and getting mad

Christians who strive to be like God, we should be patient as well. This can be a daunting undertaking, especially if circumstances fail to go our way. We have to fight to have things go our own way, but ultimately it is not our jobs to make things happen the way we want. It is God’s will that decides that for us. Submitting to His will despite circumstances is the first step in more restful life instead of being worn out and filled with anxiety and stress.

God does not want us to live life tired, anxious and stressed. He invites us to find rest in Him (Matthew 11:28). This is why He gave His Son to come to earth, save us from our punishment of sin, and set a perfect example for us of how to live a God glorifying life.

Still, one may ask the question, how can we be patient with God? To have the patience that God wants us to show, we work to develop trust in Him so that we can stand still and trust that God will do the work and that He knows the beginning from the end (Isaiah 46:10). The key word here is trust. We should trust God enough that we don’t want to take things in our own hands and do things our own way even when we don’t understand what God is doing. We trust that He is working on our behalf and that is enough.

Take the story of Abram and Sarai for example (Genesis 16). They were told by God they were going to have a child, the one thing that they desired more than anything! Year after year passed, and the couple started to lose hope. Instead of trusting in God and praying to Him for guidance, they decided to take things into their own hands. They lost patience and did not take God at His word. Sarai convinced Abram to take her maidservant, Hagar, and she conceived her son Ishmael. That was not a part of God’s plan, and because of their unbelief, their decision led to a complicated life and future for their descendants. Centuries of discord and war could have been avoided by trusting God and having patience in His timing. Because of Jesus’ example for us, we are called to live a life like Him. Paul reminds us of that saying, or angry about it. So the question is, as Christians, why does being patient matter?

“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and [PATIENCE]”(Colossians 3:12 NKJV). Throughout Proverbs the writers set a great light on how to be patient and the outcomes of what patience can bring. Most importantly, we should not let our impatience make us stumble in our walk with Jesus, or weaken our relationship with God. As the Psalmist said, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

The Bible has a lot to say about patience. A verse often quoted about patience is Galatians 5:22, which gives the fruit of the spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…”

(NKJV). God is patient, and therefore, as understanding how to have this ever elusive fruit.

We are reminded in Isaiah, “But those who [WAIT] on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV). If we stop resisting God’s timing and His plan, allowing Him to do what He does best for us, we will live a better and

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV).

Be patient with God! He knows what He is doing, and He will never leave you or abandon you. He’s got you but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4 NKJV).