Being Patient

I am learning that the one thing that you never ask God for is patience, because he seems to willingly provide/allow situations that test your patience when you ask for it!  All in all, patience is a good thing, but to become patient (or long-suffering as the word is translated) usually you have to go through trials and gain life experience to get there.  That is not high on anyone’s list!

So you might be asking, if it is such a pain to obtain, why seek it?  It appears that whenever you are patient, it has some sort of a negative connotation and it is magnetic for trouble.  Whether it is patience with a hostile family member, patience in waiting for a job, patience with waiting on God, it seems that the expense is always on us.  But the truth is, there are a lot more positive outcomes than we would realize…

I am going to summarize/quote some scriptures that I found on patience and illustrate the positives in the storms that you might be facing…

Romans 2:6-7 God gives eternal life to those who endure for his glory.  When you think that everything that you are going through is in vain, think again!  God sees that and he rewards it.  A little bit of trouble now is worth an eternity in heaven.  But this is a sober reminder that saying the sinner’s prayer does not guarantee an easy life, sometimes it does just the opposite.  Instead, it gives you meaning and purpose to the adversity that you face.

Psalm 40:1-   “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.”  I understand God better when I am patient because I take the time to listen for him.  I find myself hurrying through life sometimes, unable to take my foot off the gas and unable to stop and listen to what is going on around me.  Sometimes hearing God takes time and effort, but it is worth it!  That’s why we must take the time to do it!

Psalm 37:7-9- We learn self control and to be at peace with our circumstances when we are patient.  When I am still in the presence of the Lord and wait for him to act, I realize that I can not control others and I can not be responsible for their actions... but I learn to control how I react and I give myself time to react. I acknowledge that God can influence them and I need to trust in his will, even when it looks ugly. 

This shifts our focus to God rather than our adversaries.  Easier said than done, I know (I struggle with this), but only through enduring the trial to the end will we be able to see the conclusion that God brings.  On another note, while learning self control I learn to not look like a 3 year old throwing a fit when I don’t get my way because I am willing to wait rather than need to be gratified immediately. 

1 Corinthians 13:4- Love is patient.  It is the first quality that Paul uses to describe agape (True Love).  When you are willing to be patient and loving, a number of things happen.  When you love yourself and you are patient with yourself, you have grace for yourself when you take a do not meet your own expectations.  You also do not let the standards and time constraints that others force on you bother you.

When you are patient when starting a relationship, you protect your heart by not rushing into a relationship prematurely and causing more harm than good.  You get to know the person without giving it to the wrong person, and sometimes it is the right person, just the wrong time.  Either way, patience frequently leads to fewer scars on your heart. 

When you are patient in an argument with someone, you take the time to understand them rather than jump to conclusions and say things that hurt them.  This happens in any relationship, that is why we must be quick to listen and slow to speak.

I am sure I could do a post on each of these or list numerous other verses, but I won’t drone on!  I hope that you can see how important patience is in the Bible from a couple of different vantage points.  Yes, it can be a pain in the butt at times, but in the end, it is worth it.  So remember, in any circumstance, be patient because as the old saying goes, haste makes waste!