Having Patience While Waiting: The Fruit of the Spirit Series

   “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting” (Joyce Meyer).

   “Are we there yet?” “Is it almost time for dinner?” “When is it time for recess?” “When will Jesus come back?” What do all of these sayings have in common? They all have to do with waiting and patience. And, they all have to do with busyness. In our American culture people really have issues waiting or slowing down. Why is that? It is because we have difficulties being patient.

   To be patient one must “bear pains or trials calmly or without complaint” (Merriam-Webster). You may be saying, after reading that definition, I am pretty patient. I want you to think about the last time you were in a traffic jam. How patient were you then? I’m pretty sure you are saying that you were not that patient. See, patience has a lot to do with time. In our culture being on time is important. We only have so many hours in the day in order to get things done. We don’t want to make others wait.

   All of that can be good because we are respecting others. But, it is also bad at times because we start to get angry when things don’t go the way we planned. In order to have patience we need to lean on God. He has a perfect plan for our lives. There is a reason why you were stuck in that traffic jam. You may never know the reason, but you can rest easy knowing you are within God’s will. That’s why we can have a good attitude whenever something doesn’t go the way we planned. Think about it: will getting angry change the situation? Will getting upset change the situation? No, it probably will not. That is why we must learn to be patient and trust God’s will.

   So, are you going to change you attitude about things you cannot control? Will you trust that you are in God’s will? Will you work to be patient in all situations?

   Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 37:7-9, Galatians 6:9, Galatians 5:22-23