Patience Is a Virtue (For Real)

Sometimes you're waiting. Actually, often times you're waiting.

You're waiting for little things like coffee or a stop light. Or you're waiting for huge things like a degree or a proposal.

The whole art of the Christian life is one of waiting - waiting for Christ to return and waiting for Him to restore this broken world.

That's why it makes perfect sense for Christians to be called to patience (Gal. 5:22-23). We glorify God in our waiting by practicing patience. And it sounds easy. But more often than not, it's incredibly painful.

Patience isn't patience unless you have to overcome frustration (or disappointment) to adopt a new heart attitude.

That means killing the selfishness inside of you. Killing takes work. Killing means mess. Killing requires somebody (or something) to get hurt. Patience is war, war against what we'd like to be and what we are.

It's a virtue in the deepest sense. Selfishness and impatience are vices. They rot inside us, staining our good deeds and even stunting our sanctification.

But patience makes us better. Patience is soul-reviving, joy-giving, selfless and holy. It is embracing the divine reminder that God is in control and we are not.

So the next time you want to scream in impatience and that annoying little refrain, "Patience is a virtue" plays in your brain, stop. And believe it. And pray.

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Paving, Produce and Patience

It's been a hectic day - even though all I've done is shop. Everywhere I went seemed to be busy, crammed with cars and people and shopping carts. It's been a good day for some lessons in patience.

It all started this morning when Mom, Travis and I went out to get a birthday present for a friend of mine and for Travis to spend some of his birthday money. It was only ten minutes from home when we hit it. Construction. In Nova Scotia, summer is practically synonymous with orange construction signs - by the mall, on the highway, on the back roads, seemingly everywhere. And for the last few weeks, crews have been working on paving the road we drive down every day, the road we cannot detour around. That means we get stopped - a lot. This morning was no exception. This was the first lesson in patience.

Then we went shopping, to the grocery store and the book store and the toy store and then ending at Wal-Mart with its brand-new produce section. Mom attests that this was the busiest she had ever seen the store, even moreso than Christmas. The place was chaotic, the produce section psychotic. There were people everywhere! The best part was when we had to go to the hardware section to pick up spackle for Dad; it was the quietest part of the store! But when we had to go back to the produce section to pick up some store-made pizza - this was the second lesson in patience.

Patience is a virtue is one of Mom's favourite mantras. And it's true. But it's also hard. As I was thinking about this very thing, I found myself going back to Galatians 5:22 to talk about patience, where it's listed as a fruit of the spirit, and I thought about how we as the Christian culture often extol patience, which is absolutely right I may add. But often we don't look a few verses before Galatians 5:22, at what comes before this list of Christian fruit.

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." ~ Galatians 5:19-21

Impurity. Idolatry. Enmity. Strife. Jealousy. Fits of anger. Uh-huh. I probably committed all those today, just in my impatience. Every time I lost my patience, I was reveling in works of the flesh, not in fruit of the Spirit. I was choosing sin over godliness, selfishness over worship. Extolling patience is good and necessary, but showing impatience for what it truly is is also necessary sometimes. For in seeing the horror of the bad, you see the virtue in the good.

So between the paving and the produce and everything in between today, I've learned quite a bit about patience. Now if this post would just hurry up and publish, I can start applying it ...

Sleepy and Selfish

Last night I just had one of those bad nights. I tossed and turned. I moved from the air mattress (we're staying at the grandparents') to the couch, and then back to the air mattress. I lay there, exhausted, but sleep would not come. I'm blaming it on the Skip-Bo and frozen yogurt before bed. Then I had to get up at six for an early show this morning, but I was awake before five. Consequently, at the present moment, I am sleepy. And I am also feeling just a little bit selfish.

Why do those two things seem to go together? When you have a bad sleep, you feel that since you were cheated out of a good sleep you're at least owed a good day. And by "good," I mean a day where nothing could happen to upset you, frustrate you or put you out in any way. Maybe you can relate. When I'm sleepy, I get selfish.

But that is no excuse.

Just because I'm tired it does not mean that it is an excuse to sin. It is no excuse to get selfish. It is just, in fact, another opportunity, a special opportunity, to exercise patience and strive for holiness. Proverbs 16:24 says,

"Patience is better than power, and controlling one’s temper, than capturing a city."

Galatians 5:22:

 "But the fruit of the spirit is ... patience." 

Proverbs 19:11:

"A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense." 

So even when I'm feeling sleepy and selfish, I'm going to be, first, aware that I'm more susceptible to sin, second, pray for patience, and third strive for holiness. And maybe take a nap.

Holy Living and Practicing Patience

There's a verse in the Bible that troubles me. It is 1 Thessalonians 5:14 and reads the following:

"And we exhort you, brothers: warn those who are irresponsible, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone."

It's not the first part that troubles me. The irresponsible must be warned. Of course you ought to comfort the discouraged, and helping the weak is a given. But be patient with everyone? Now that's troubling. You and I both know that there are some people that are just difficult to be patient with. And there are some days we don't feel like being patient. What my sinful heart would like to see in this verse is, "Warn those who are irresponsible, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, and be patient with those who are kind and nice and will never do anything to upset you or tick you off in any way." Wouldn't that be nice?

But that handy little loophole isn't there. And that is because God doesn't give loopholes. He calls sin sin. In our selfish hearts, we'd like to think impatience a sin hardly worth mentioning. Everyone loses their patience now and then, we tell ourselves, and besides, some people are absolutely impossible to be patient with. Uh-uh. Impatience at any time with any person, despite your mood or the person annoying you, is sin. It is vile before a holy God, and He demands that we rid ourselves of it, destroy it, cut it from our lives or bear the consequences. You've heard the saying, "Patience is a virtue." Well, it's more than that. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, a necessary result of holy living in the Christian life. (Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 4:2; Proverbs 16:32; Colossians 3:12) That doesn't mean we're never going to get impatient. We're sinners. We still sin. But the blood of Jesus has covered that sin, and so we can repent before our Father in heaven, and He will forgive us.

So let's practice patience with everyone and not forget that it was God who first showed patience with us, saving us, so that we can show patience to others.

The Great Mystery of Answered Prayer

How God answers prayer is a great mystery indeed. How often is it that we pray for something, expecting the Lord to strike us with some miraculous gift or healing or saving, and we're answered so differently, so unexpectedly, yet so clearly?

For example, there have been times when I prayed for patience and just waited for the Lord to answer me with this clear of feeling of serenity and calmness that overshadowed all frustration. And He answered me all right, but instead of what I expected, He put me in places in His Word that speak directly of patience and then He would throw me in some seemingly especially difficult circumstances in which to practice that patience! But at the end of the day, when I looked back, God answered my prayers - He gave me patience, just not in the way I expected.

A more recent example is that of praying for witnessing opportunities. For quite a while, I've been praying for these opportunities to witness to my friends. A part of my has just been expecting the Lord to send someone walking up to me, asking, "Jaquelle, can you tell me about Jesus, please?" But that hasn't happened. Then suddenly I started talking to this one friend who I don't know really well. We were e-mailing, just small talk, and then suddenly I felt like a huge neon sign that said "WITNESS HERE!!!" whacked me over the head. This was an opportunity I had been praying for. So thus began a series of e-mails with this friend about the gospel!

Answered prayer is definitely a great mystery, but it's a really, really cool mystery! Sometimes the Lord answers prayer is ways we expect, other times, not so much. Do you have answered prayers that at one time seemed so unexpected and mysterious to you, but you now recognize were from the Lord? Leave me a comment or send me an e-mail - I'd love to hear about them!

The Spiritual Fruit Bowl: Understanding the Fruit of the Spirit -- Part 4: Patience

Have you ever been in that frustrating, impossible, hair-clawing, teeth-grinding, patience-trying position where all you can do is clench your teeth and half-scream, "Patience is a virtue"? Well, you're not alone. Pretty much every person on this earth has experienced a time when their patience has been tested and they were forced to recite that age-old proverb. Everybody struggles with patience. So this brings us to our next fruit in our spiritual fruit bowl - patience.

According to Dictionary.com, patience is defined as "quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence." That, in a nutshell, is what being patient is all about. Having a "quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence." Patience is drastically lacking in our society today. Someone cuts off someone in traffic. You can hear the horn honking and stream of obscenities half a dozen blocks away. Someone unknowingly steps in front of someone in the Christian book store lineup. Everyone else in the store turns their heads as an all-out brawl breaks out. Someone gets a trainee in the grocery store checkout line. Everyone else in the lineup watches grimly as that person shows their great lack of patience and, after blowing it, leaves the poor trainee in tears. 

Our situation is dire. Culture has taught us that it's all about me. I'm number one and I should never even have to exercise patience, because the world should revolve around me. Me, me, I, I, me, I. Nope, no God in that equation. And that's the key to our problem. When we focus on ourselves, we have ten times more of a chance of losing our patience. But when we're focusing on God, we can't help but show a humble, gracious, patient spirit. 

So when your head is about to blow and you've forgotten to do your morning devotions and you're about to scream the house down, stop, drop and pray. E.M. Bounds once said, "Faith, and hope, and patience and all the strong, beautiful, vital forces of piety are withered and dead in a prayerless life. The life of the individual believer, his personal salvation, and personal Christian graces have their being, bloom, and fruitage in prayer." It's all about prayer. Prayer is the key to a patient life. So let's bring our troubles, frustrations, and worries humbly to the throne of grace and lay them down. Let's train our focus on God, not on ourselves. And let's finally repent of our lack of patience and our abundance of selfishness and prepare to let the Spirit work in us and show His patience through us. 

Daddy's Daughter: A Short Summary of My Dad's Sermon

Planning for Patience
James 5:7-11

Everyone is impatient at one time or another. God, through James, tells us that we need to be patient, though. 'Why?' you ask. Good question. Because ...

1. Jesus is coming again, and He's coming soon.
2. The Lord is coming to judge. He will judge all equally.
3. The Lord is compassionate and merciful towards all.
   

Everything we do is because Jesus was born, died, rose again, and is coming again. I say with John in Revelation 22:20, "He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"

Patience, Patience-Part 2

Good day, readers. I hope you remember my post titled 'Patience, Patience.' I talked about getting my new bed and how long it was going to take to get here, but with my bed, like in all situations, we need to have patience. Today (I know you were waiting for this day as long as I have)......my bed arrived. I'll wait until the cheering dies down. I wanted to share a verse with you (if you can handle it after this exciting news).

Proverbs 16:20:Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

You may be asking me what this has to do with patience. Well, when I was trying to be patient waiting for my bed, I read the Word and do you know what happened? I discovered good. I trusted in the Lord and (yes, believe me) He blessed me. I followed three steps (one which was not in this passage).

• I was patient- We need to be patient with when we are waiting for something.
• I gave thought to the Word- God will bless us if we hear the Word and obey it.
• I trusted in the Lord - We are blessed if we trust in the Lord.

Like I said in Patience, Patience- Part 1 patience is an important quality to have, no matter how difficult it may be at times. I'm not saying that I followed these three steps perfectly, but I did my best, and I'm not saying life will be perfect if you follow these three steps, but trust me, you will be blessed. So, patience, patience readers (you too Jaquelle).

Patience, Patience

Good afternoon, readers. Today I was very happy that I was able to receive a bed for my early birthday present. But, (as my dad says, a screaming conjunction) there's a catch though..... the bed doesn't come in until a week from this Wednesday.

My brother recently got his early birthday bed. Now, today I'm extremely grateful to have a new bed, but I will need patience to get through the next week and a half. James tells us in James 5:7 that we need to have patience until Jesus comes. He gives an example of a farmer who waits for his harvest and is patient until the rains come. My bed is not a big deal, but I still need to have patience to wait. Just like with my bed, we need to have patience to wait for other things too. Things like, waiting for Jesus to return, when life seems at its darkest. Or maybe its waiting for a husband or a wife, and you want just the right person. Or maybe, maybe its waiting to move into a home (I know what that feels like). These are all difficult things to have patience waiting for. In Galatians 5:22 we read that But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

So in conclusion, patience is hard, but its an important quality to have. Patience is a fruit and a great one too. This is a lesson to me probably more than you, but finally, patience, patience my dear friends.