Impatience is a component of our “fight or flight” response given to us by God. Our thoughts or self-talk is triggering a fear or frustration. Patience is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It allows us to remain calm in the presence in our life of frustration, disappointment, suffering, distress, etc.
We step away from our negative thoughts and reflect on our concern as we ask God for His wisdom in this setting. Reflection will interrupt the stress cycle and keep us from feeling impatient. Once we identify the source of our thoughts and feelings, we can apply grace and compassion to the person or condition and realize patience is perfecting us as we trust in God alone.
In years past, the most noted quote was, “Do not pray for patience!!! You will only get more tribulation.” I bought into that philosophy because I noticed this was true in my life. So, I stopped praying for patience. Recently, God showed me the details of how patience actually perfects us (James 1:2-4).
I want to be perfect as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48), so I started using every frustrating experience to change my focus from the aspects of the circumstance to God using the incident to allow patience to perfect me. I really love what is happening in my life ever since I started this new habit.
Synonyms for “patience” are forbearance and endurance. We gain these benefits not by self-restraint or controlling our self, but in patience perfecting us. When we also allow God’s Holy Spirit to sanctify us with more mercy and compassion, we start to see what is happening to others in every situation that is causing our impatience to get triggered.
Then we show love and acceptance toward the person and/or situation. Patience allows us to wait on the Lord as His Spirit sanctifies our soul – our thoughts, emotions, and choices. We choose to be calm and to rest in the Lord as we trust Him to work in our life. We center our thoughts, emotions, and actions on Him and His direction for these moments of our time.
Prayer:
Father God, teach us to find joy in every situation we encounter during the day (Philippians 4:4-8). Remind us that the issue may test our faith in Your faithfulness, teach us a lesson we need, or allow patience to perfect us. In times of ill health, doctor office waiting periods, long grocery lines, waiting on a person or an appointment, dealing with an active child, etc. we need Your patience in our soul, and we look forward to these issues now that we see Your design for them.
Show us how impatience impacts our physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental stability, but how patience keeps us healthy in body, soul, and spirit. We trade irritation and worry for serenity and composure with the help of Your Spirit within us. Remind us that patience and prayer allow us to rejoice in the hope You set before us (Romans 12:12). Help us not to get weary in our service to You, but to remember that in Your time, we shall reap good things if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).
Thoughts for the Day:
We cannot perfect our self as God is perfect, but He gives all of us patience as a tool for perfecting our soul. In setting goals for our day, it is better to consult the Lord for His plans for us, rather than to make our own to-do list and run with it. Life’s issues are often inconvenient, impractical, unrealistic, and time-consuming, but these are great times to submit to patience and to feel her working perfection in our soul.
- James 1:2-4; Proverbs 3:5-6
