About a year ago, I naively breathed a prayer that patience would be grown in me. I have learned that God takes me seriously because the last 10 months have been about patience. I am learning to live in the midst of uncertainty, letting time take its course. This is a challenging lesson for me as I tend to be an immediate, get up and go kind of person.
I am learning that patience is enduring under difficult circumstances. Each one of us experiences difficult circumstances and we must learn to persevere in the face of delay or provocation without acting on our emotions in a negative way. Patience can also be described as enduring or forbearing and it is the latter that has piqued my interest.
"Forbearing" is a compound word, a word made up two other words, in this case "for bearing". I was not sure what that exactly meant but I wondered if that particular phrase was predicated by a fill in the blank "ie ___________ is for bearing". Life is for bearing. Challenges are for bearing. Sadness is for bearing. I then flipped it around and considered "bearing for" and these thoughts came to mind: bearing for growth, bearing for running the race set before me, bearing for the unknown future. Either way, 'for bearing' and 'bearing for' means having patience, so I dug into scripture and came up with a couple of references that particularly struck a chord in me.
1 Thessalonians 5:14b -15 (NLT)
Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
Colossians 1:11 (NLT)
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy.
Psalm 27:14 (NLT)
Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
Growing in patience has been a gutsy, wrestle-in-the-mud, life-changing process. Patience by its very definition does not deal with immediacy, and thus does not instantly grow in me. Growing in patience requires patience! It requires courage and bravery. And it requires trust and faith in the One who began the good work in me, promising to continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Jesus returns (Phillipians 1:6 NLT)
Patience is NOT for cowards.
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