How little do you like having to wait on things? Most of us are naturally impatient people. There are plenty of theories about why we lack the ability to be patient, and any of them may be true. Some people trace our natural inclination to be impatient to our infancy, when we would scream and cry for someone to change us, comfort us, or feed us. If they didn’t come immediately, the screaming and crying would grow louder until we got what we wanted. Obviously, that’s not an indictment on the adults who cared for us. However, it does plant the seeds for impatience.
As we get older, our patience typically doesn’t improve. Instead, unless we’re taught how to control it, we generally become even more impatient than we were before. While we may not scream and cry, we often pout and get angry when we don’t get what we want as soon as we want it. Teenage years are filled with impatience, and unfortunately, so is adulthood.
When we reach adulthood, one would think that we have patience figured out. Unfortunately, we do not. This could potentially be due to the fact that we don’t live in a society that pushes patience. Instead, we live in a culture where we can pull up to a drive thru window and have an entire meal handed to us. Even if we don’t choose that route, we can throw things in the microwave and have dinner in our hands in five minutes or less. Additionally, we carry cellphones that give us access to a world of information on demand. We are not patient people.
It seems unlikely that we’re going to change the way that the world pushes impatience. However, we can adjust the way that we deal with the topic. No, you will probably never be a perfectly patient person. However, you can still take steps to exude patience in your own life. This begins by improving the patience that you have with yourself, and includes practicing patience with others, and even practicing patience with God. Today, discover more about how to make this a reality in your own life.
Being Patient with Yourself
Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)
No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
When you view your life through the lens of the progression you’ve made on your spiritual journey, you may find yourself wondering why you’re not further along than you are. If we’re being honest, all of us wish we had done more “figure it out” by now. It’d be great if we could say that we “have it all together” and have really progressed to the place that we think we should’ve.
However, when you recognize that Paul acknowledged that he was still struggling to figure out how to live the kind of life that he wanted to live, it becomes much easier to accept that we need to show ourselves a little bit of patience.
God expects us to develop into better disciples as our lives with him progress. For example, if you’ve been saved for 10 years, you should be living a more disciplined, holy life than you were living a few months after you accepted Christ. However, while God wants to see progression, He is fully aware of the fact that He will never see perfection.
If Paul, the man who wrote most of the New Testament, said that he still hadn’t achieved perfection, it’s important that we don’t beat ourselves up as we go through the process. Today, commit to showing yourself some patience. It doesn’t mean that you embrace sin. However, it does mean that you don’t beat yourself down with shame and condemnation when you miss the mark.
Being Patient with Others
Ephesians 4:2-3 (NLT)
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
Once we’ve established how to be patient with ourselves, we must take an even more difficult step. Being patient with other people is another concept that doesn’t exactly come naturally. This is especially true when we’re dealing with people who we are very close to. Friends and especially family members often receive the brunt of our impatience, especially when we set unrealistic expectations for them.
Being patient with each other is an important part of having healthy relationships. When you are patient with others, friendships can flourish. When you’re patient with the people who live in your home, your home can become a safe, warm, happy place for you and your family. Conversely, when you act impatiently, those relationships suffer. It’s hard to keep friends when your existing friends assume that you’re waiting to fly off the handle. Your home-life can’t thrive when you and your family are constantly walking on eggshells around one another while everyone assumes that a fight is brewing.
Additionally, being patient with other people is a Biblical mandate issued by God. Yes, Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians, but it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. So when Paul said that we should “be patient with each other,” that was a command that came from the heart of God.
While we’ve established that you should be patient with yourself, it’s equally important that you don’t hold others to a higher standard than you hold yourself to. Exude patience in your relationships with others.
Being Patient with God
Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
But they who wait for 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.
Finally, and this is the area where we may struggle the most, it’s vital that we practice patience with God. Many of us have a skewed idea of how God operates. We picture this loving, caring, Grandfather-style character in the sky who is just waiting to bestow every wish upon us as soon as we ask. That’s rarely the way it actually works, and when we experience those moments of forced-waiting, we often question our faith, God’s goodness, and any other number of things.
The Bible is filled with people who failed to remain patient when dealing with the promises of God. One of the best examples of this is found in the story of Abraham and Sarah. God had promised them that they would have a son in their old age. Unfortunately, they decided not to wait on God’s fulfillment of His promises. They arranged for Abraham to have a child with Sarah’s handmaiden, Hagar. Their impatience resulted in the birth of an unpromised son, and a host of issues that are still impacting the world today.
Sometimes God’s answer to our requests is that we wait on His timing. In those moments, It’s vital that you are filled with faith so you can fully embrace the goodness that God has in store for those who are patient. When you wait upon the Lord, He will renew your strength and you can mount up with wings like eagles.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to stand on the truths of Your Word so that I can be a more patient person. I know that You want me to not only be patient with myself like Paul was, but I’m also called to be patient with others. Most of all, help my faith to keep me patient as I wait on You. In Christ’s name, Amen.