Patience

Patience is extremely difficult for most of us.  We like to move at our own pace and are quickly frustrated at the pace of others...especially when they slow us down!

We like our pace and flow and often fall apart when faced with detours and interruptions.

Why is exhibiting patience so difficult?

One old saying describes patience as a "virtue."  In the Bible, the Apostle Paul uses it as a descriptor of love (Galatians 5:22).  But what is patience exactly?  One dictionary defines it as "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset."  If that is true, it is easy to see why it is so difficult!

Bryan Loritts recently tweeted that "Patience is choosing to move at someone else's pace instead of pressuring them to move at yours."  Are you willing to consider extending that kind of patience?  In a similar vein one pastor asks:  "Do you love them more than you hate where they are at?"  He asks this question in the context of making disciples.   The person in front of you may not be where you want them to be or moving at the pace that you want them to, but can you love them patiently where they are at?

In addition to showing patience towards others, it is also often required toward God and even ourselves.  Consider Psalm 40:1.  Are you patient with God when He is not moving at your speed?  What about patience towards yourself?  Can you allow yourself room to grow when you are not performing up to your own expectations?

We would be wise to remember the encouragement of both Peter and Paul.  Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:9, "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."  Paul encourages his readers in Romans 12:12, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulations, be constant in prayer."

Be patient with others, God, and yourself.

Don't give up.  Press on...even if it is not at your pace!