Patience is known as just waiting—in a long line, for an answer, for things to get better, etc. However, not only is it about simply enduring time, but it’s about how we endure it.
While We Wait
It’s easy to wonder if we’ve been forgotten when prayers seem unanswered, when doors remain closed, and/or when healing feels impossible. But patience reminds us that even in the waiting, something is happening.
Do seeds become plants in the same day? They don’t sprout the moment they are planted. The seeds start to grow in the ground before we start to see the plant it’s becoming.
In the same way, God is often working beneath the surface of our lives in ways we cannot yet see.
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. – Romans 8:25
Patience is often linked to faith because it requires trust. Trust is knowing that things will unfold in their own time, that the struggle isn’t in vain, and that what’s meant for us will come when we’re ready.
Sometimes, patience is about preparing. If we rush ahead, we might not be ready for what we’re asking for.
For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.– Habakkuk 2:3
Patience in Trials
Life brings struggles, but patience reminds us that even trials have a purpose.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. —James 1:2-3
I understand that this is a lot easier said than done. It is our natural instinct to be upset or frustrated when trials come our way.
I know I was not in a joyful mood when having cancer treatments and developing disabilities from them. However, my perseverance grew stronger as I was more determined to remove myself from my situation which gave me some joy (the booyahs) as I continued to prove my oncologist wrong thanks to Him.
Trusting in God’s Timing
This world is full of instant gratification with the instant messages, fast results, quick fixes. But God doesn’t work on our schedule. His timing is perfect, even when it doesn’t match our expectations as it says in 2 Peter 3:8-9
When trials come your way, take a deep breath. See it as an opportunity to grow, to strengthen your faith, and to practice gratitude in the now instead of longing only for the future.
“Patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.”-Joyce Meyer
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