There are some common expressions about patience. It is a virtue, love is patient, your testing my patience, my patience is running thin. When I think of patience I typically think of the old loving grandmother or an elementary school teacher which is accurate but when I really started analyzing it on a deeper level I started thinking about kings, professional athletes, men of faith, and really the toughest people I know.

I typically think of patience as the ability to wait without anxiety or frustration. But it can also represent a characteristic of a person who is calm and optimistic despite circumstances that incite the opposite emotion. So patience then becomes almost like a superpower when analyzed at a deeper level. If you can control your emotions in settings that are difficult and can thrive in situations of delayed gratification then you have an ability that a large part of the population doesn't have. 

By definition, patience is the ability to calmly endure delays, suffering, or frustration without becoming angry or upset, involving quiet endurance, inner calm, and a long-term, optimistic view, rather than passive inaction; it's an active, courageous choice to accept circumstances while still striving, focusing on growth, and trusting in a process or higher power.

This indicates that patience is exhibited in periods of waiting but also through periods of frustration and suffering. Patience can be staying calm after your child asks “why?” for the hundredth time after saying eat your vegetables. It can be trusting the process of studying day in and day out to learn and understand complex topics. It can be interacting with other people who tend to frustrate you quickly. It can be enduring an injury, sickness, or season of misfortune. It can be waiting for a job opportunity. It can be handling the emotional toll of getting rejected, denied, or told you're not ready yet. 

The most important thing to understand is patience can be learned and improved. It can be a tool to drastically improve and prepare you in times of waiting or trial. It can be a testament of faith. It can be an ultimate sign of love and respect. 

Here is a quick look at patient people vs impatient people 

Almost any professional athlete, esteemed coaches, business owner, and even social media influencers have to exercise patience. There is always an element of trusting the process, enduring suffering, and working with the faith it will all work out. From athletes doing tedious drills, business investments that take extended times to pay out, and many of those putting in a lot of work with little results over long periods of time, patience is seen throughout. 

However it can be much deeper and more meaningful in life and we see this in the Bible. 

We see patience once again used and specifically mentioned in multiple ways. We see it as an outward expression of love to others in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. We also see it as a fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22 being a result of the Spirit working in us. 

We see Jesus being patient with his disciples teaching them over and over even though they do not understand. Like the toddler asking why over and over again. We see God being patient with humanity all throughout the Bible teaching, reteaching, and seeking us even after we mess it up over and over again. 

But the place we see it that stands out to me is developing us though trials over extended time. This is where patience is built in having faith in an outcome despite circumstances. It is all over the Bible. From King David being anointed to be the next king of Israel at a young age and having to serve a king for many years and one that ultimately tries to kill him, Noah building the arc, to Abraham waiting for years to have a son and nation that God promised, to Joseph being thrown into prison for years before becoming Pharaoh's number one advisor. There are so many examples. God seems to use time as a way to develop us and mold us into the person we need to become to fulfill his will. 

I don't have an overly theological and analytical reasoning on this. It just seems to be an intentional design for us. He may be stripping certain things from us to have a better foundation to build upon. Almost like demoing a house before rebuilding. Everything that is truly good and valued take time and processes to develop.

When it comes to God working in your life or you trying to be obedient and fulfilling God’s will, I think patience will be one of the most valuable traits to possess. 

Be patient in the outcome. When you get in times of frustration in waiting. Add “yet” to the end of your sentences. I don't see the reason in this… (yet). I haven't changed my habits (yet) God hasnt revealed this to me (yet) This person hasnt seen justice (yet) Verse to rest in. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Remember God uses time but transcends our understanding of time.       

Be patient in the process. Pray. Read Seek wisdom. Serve others. Repeat. (when you pray think glory to gory. Praise God for who He is and give God all your honest frustrations and ugliness… he already knows anyways.) Verse to rest in. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 Until that time control what you can  Pray. Read. Seek wisdom. Serve others. Repeat. 

Be patient with others. How you treat people matters. Regardless of how “they” act you can control your emotional response. If you are in Christ then there is added responsibility. We are to be a light, we are to be salt, we are to be set apart and change the environment around us. When we interact with others we should have the fruit of the sprit working with us especially when the world isn't acting in the same way.   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23. This matters most when it is the exact opposite reaction we should have. For example, when people have road rage, want to yell at a waitress, want to slam the phone down with customer service, when disagreeing with others… this is when the fruit of the spirit should shine and our normal human reactions are hidden. 

There is an amazing book I highly recommend “Love Does” by Bob Goff. The author is a charismatic and great story teller. It’s shows how loving others, especially those you don't like, can allow God to use you in some amazing ways. 

Lastly, be patient with yourself. You're going to mess up over and over and over. You're going to miss the mark. You are human. Yes it’s important to avoid sin, yes it's important to work hard for the church, yes time is of the essence and it's a vapor. When we become obsessed on doing and performance we lose touch in being and relation. The first thing God did with Adam after creation was rest. He didn't ask him to do anything, instead he wanted to just be with him. Focus on who God is and who you're becoming.

The key word here is sanctification. Sanctification is the theological process of being set apart and made holy by God's grace, conforming believers into the image of Christ. It involves both a one-time positional status as holy at conversion and a progressive, lifelong transformation by the Holy Spirit, enabling believers to die to sin and live unto righteousness. Scripture tells us it's a slow and sometimes painful process. This is where faith in the outcome is key to have patience in the now. 

Prayers and patience,

Cam