Christian Living

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We live in a fast-paced, I want-it-now society. We give little thought to the person or persons we are requiring something of or the sacrifice that person is making in order to grant our requests. We don’t want to wait, and if we must, we desire to be compensated by our schedule’s perpetrator.

Patience is a virtue often overcome by our lifestyle. I don’t claim to be Job, if anything, I’m his polar opposite. Many times it seems as though my 8-year-old brothers have more patience than me.

This seems particularly true in my prayer life. I prayed, therefore it should be. But I forget that I’m on God’s time, not vice versa.

Circumstances in life cause us to become impatient. Stress and misunderstandings sometimes cause us to become impatient. A situation in my life has caused me to evaluate my level of patience.

Have you ever known that God has called you to do something or to be with someone, only to scratch your head and wonder when this great event or calling will come to fruition, as you grow more and more impatient?

Recently, I decided to study the meaning of the word patience. Patience is defined as the act of being patient. So, patient then had to be defined. I consulted several sources, but came to one conclusion. We are, in fact, called to exercise patience. Which in turn, is all about keeping the faith.

According to Webster, patient means “bearing pains for trials calmly or without complaint; or steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity.” My person favorite is, “not hasty or impetuous.”

Based on the aforementioned definitions, I think it’s safe to say that few people fit the description of what it means to be patient. But there’s hope.

After consulting Noah Webster, I decided to study a person favorite-William Shakespeare, after all, where would we be without his whimsical charm?

Hoping to find some justification for my lack of patience, I searched through various plays and sonnets. As Dr. Darrell’s lecture on the playwright as a social scientist flowed in and out of my conscious thoughts, I was certain that my old friend, Will, would come through for me.

Here’s what he had to say:

“Be patient, for the world is broad and wide,” from Romeo and Juliet, 3.3.16. This one didn’t help much. So, I moved on to the next one.
“Patience is stale, and I am weary of it,” from Richard II, 5.5.103. Now, this one sounds more like it. But one factor is missing. One must first have patience before one can grow weary of it.

So I gave Will one more try. “To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first,” from Henry VIII, 1.1.131-132. A pattern was beginning to develop.

Maybe, C.S. Lewis had the answer. He was a Christian writer. He’ll be the next consultant.

In an anthology of selected works by George MacDonald, Lewis compiled a series of invaluable information about the Christian’s walk. He wrote one passage, entitled “Why We Must Wait,” that seemed to fit all too well.

“Perhaps, indeed, the better the gift we pray for, the more time is necessary for its arrival. To give us the spiritual gift we desire, God may have to begin far back in our spirit, in regions unknown to us, and do much work that we can be aware of only in the results; for our consciousness is to the extent of our being but the flame of the volcano to the world-gulf whence it issues; in the gulf of our unknown being God works behind our consciousness, With His holy influence, with His own presence (the one thing for which most earnestly we cry). He may be approaching our consciousness from behind, coming forward through regions of our darkness into our light, long before we begin to be aware that He is answering our request-has answered it, and is visiting His child.”

The pattern was all too familiar. It was time to consult the experts. You know, go to the last place we go when searching for answers, and you’re running short of patience. It was time to consult the Bible.

In Colossians 2:12, Paul states, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (NIV) Ouch. We are called to have patience.

Proverbs 14:29 states, “A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.” (NIV) It all began to come together. We will see the value of having patience in any particular situation, in time.

Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22, ”…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (NIV) OK, I get the hint.

It’s time to concede to defeat. We are a work in progress. The realization is that it all comes down to faith. We have to be patient and realize that God will bring His works to completion in His time. No matter how big or small the circumstances, patience is a requirement of life.

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