Developing the Virtue of Patience
by Maria Houpt
The word patience is defined as "The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset." It is waiting with grace. Would you characterize yourself as a patient person?
Or are you like me – it depends on the situation? Sitting in traffic, I’m usually patient. Waiting in line at the grocery store, patient. Stuck driving behind a slow (*cough cough – driving the speed limit*) driver – very impatient. Waiting on (medical) test results? If it is routine, patient. If it is to diagnose, definitely impatient. Part of being a Christian is accepting undesirable situations gracefully while maintaining faith in God's timing and supreme ability.
In Galatians 5:22, patience is listed as one part of the fruit of the Spirit. If patience is a virtue, then waiting is the finest (and often most unpleasant) method by which the Holy Spirit grows patience in us.
Why is it difficult to wait? Why is patience so hard? It all boils down to our tendency to see things solely from our point of view. We are a self-centered, immediate-gratification society (at least I know I am!). We want things to happen the way we want them to happen when we want them to happen. Patience with God is having faith in God, who He is, in His timing, and trusting His desires for our lives. To practice faith is to relinquish total control of our lives over to God. To lack faith is to give in to our desire for control.
It takes effort to build up patience, but thankfully we are not left on our own to work it out. Do you wish for patience? Do you want to be a patient person, able to continue forward amid challenges? Here are three Biblical ways to develop patience. It is not easy, but the struggle will be worth it.
1. Glory in our Sufferings
"Glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4). No one wants to endure trials without expected results. Athletes train to get better at their game; musicians practice to improve their skills; preachers practice their sermon before delivering it on a Sunday morning. In the same way, trials develop patience. Look at it this way: the more trials we face, the more occasions we have to build up patience. James 1:2-3 tells us: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." Remind yourself of the end result – the more we endure, the more patient we can become, and the more like Christ we will be.
2. Wait on God to Act
Can I blow up at this person now, or should I depend on the Holy Spirit to soothe me? Can I make something happen today, or is God asking me to wait for His perfect timing? Relying on God's timing is always the patient and best decision. Relying on Him means letting Him work in His way and His time. His timing is different from ours, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" (Isaiah 30:18).
Ultimately, developing patience demands prayer and the Holy Spirit. It is important to remember that God is patient with sinners; "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). Since God extends this patience to us, as believers we are called to be like Him.
3. Look to Jesus
If we want to develop patience in ourselves, we need to look at the greatest example of a patient man -- our Lord Jesus Christ. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:1-2). Christ is the perfect model of patience. God wants us to be like Him, and the more we become Christ-like, the more we will have patience: over ourselves, our families, friends, and even strangers. Christ was patient with us all, and we can learn it from Him.
Developing the virtue of patience is not always easy, but it is definitely achievable. And it is always worth the effort. Just remember to glory in sufferings, wait on God to act, and always look to Jesus, and you will be on your way to developing patience.
