Patience
Patience is the ability to accept or tolerate delay,
trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. Patient people are the ones who understand
that the pain or discomfort they are experiencing while waiting is temporary
and one day it will change their lives for the better. Impatience, on the other hand, while
sometimes justified, can be a character flaw or dark personality trait
associated with anything that causes delay.
When everything is going our way, patience is easy to
demonstrate. When we rush around, we lose patience and enjoyment of the moment.
The true test of patience IS TO ACCEPT WHAT WE CAN”T CHANGE AT THE MOMENT. We can be tested when someone cuts us off in
traffic, our children repeatedly don’t listen or when we are waiting in a long
line at the grocery store.
The word ‘patience’ appears in the bible over 30 times. James
the apostle, as a chief leader in the church at Jerusalem, focused on the life
of faith. He encouraged Jewish believers to endure and live bold Christian
lives and to be patient, until the coming of the Lord. Our patience is
developed and strengthened by resting in God’s perfect will and our patience is
rewarded in the end when the Lord comes.
In Colossians, Paul encourages the
church to focus on God and put aside the pettiness’s that prevent the spread of
the Gospel. “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12) God’s power and goodness are crucial
to the development of patience.
In Ephesians, Paul having described how
Jesus attained unity between the Jew and Gentile through His death on the
cross, he asks the Ephesians “to lead a life worthy of the
calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making
every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
(Ephesians 4:1-3)
Patience does not develop overnight. Our natural response is impatience, which
leads to stress and anger. As Christians we have to rely on the Lord’s strength
to respond with patience. So the next time you are delayed in a traffic jam or
long line or betrayed again by a friend, how will you respond?
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