Patience, as a virtue, is all but going extinct. It’s like a savings account. We all want to have one we just don’t want to take the time to build it. In the moment we’d rather have that $5 mocha.
After all, what is so good about waiting? Why wait if I can have it now? Isn’t the point of science and technology to make pain, discomfort, and inconvenience disappear? The English definition of patience is the capacity to accept trouble, delay, or suffering without getting angry or upset. It’s synonyms are endurance, perseverance, restraint, composure, long suffering. Who wants to suffer longer?
I am still so tempted every time I see an ad for a program that claims you can “drop ten pounds in two days”. I actively look for “fast, five minute dinners”. I will gladly pay a little extra so my package arrives sooner rather than later. I’m even tempted to click on the ads that promise I can write a book and get it published now! It’s so easy to justify these little services. Why wait if we don’t have to?
The ideas behind these quick conveniences of modern life are meant to free us up to spend more time on the things that matter. But really they rob us of opportunity to exercise and develop the characteristic of God that flavors the rest of our experience on this earth.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5
A Worthy Pursuit
Patience as a virtue has merit. Athletes, musicians, artists all know that true excellence is achieved only when patience is exercised. Skills and knowledge are developed over time. Delaying gratification generally means you will have a greater payoff tomorrow. But that is not always true. The hard worker can faithfully put away money every day for years and then lose it all in an instant when the market crashes. The athlete can condition her body diligently to compete and never achieve the status she was looking for.
True patience – accepting trouble and suffering without getting angry or upset – is a gift (Read more about that here) It cannot be achieved outside the Holy Spirit working in our hearts to make us more like Jesus.
But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:16
Patience is worthwhile because God is patient.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
Love is patient (1 Corinthians 13:4). The Greek word Paul uses here (and in Galatians 5:22) is makrothymeo, literally “long temper”.
Waiting is hard. Waiting with a good attitude is even more difficult. But it is also the most tangible expression of trust. Exercising patience, accepting trouble without getting angry, can only be done when we let go of control.
Thinking about the work of the Spirit in our lives as fruit, patience is the seed. Pushed down deep in the dirt, trusting that in time, the plant will grow and flower and produce fruit that is nutritious and pleasing to the senses.
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