The famous psychologist–educator John Dewey said that the most useful virtue in the world is patience. The fact is, we need it all the time, and we need it everywhere.
A man was going through a difficult time; he began praying, “Lord, give me patience.” He expected his problems to decrease, but they got worse! Then he said, “Lord give me more patience,” and the problems really got bad. Later he realized that God had indeed answered his prayer. He had become much more patient, thanks to the problems.
By testing our patience, God gives us true patience. It is easy to appear patient when everything is going your way. But what happens when they aren’t going your way? Perhaps you are like the person who prayed, “Lord give me patience, and I want it right now!”
Our patience has often been tested by way of interruptions, inconveniences, irritations and inactivity.
INTERRUPTIONS: This is the first test of your patience. You sit down to a hurried breakfast and the phone rings. Or you are working on a deadline and visitors arrive. Our best plans are often interrupted. How do you handle interruptions?
INCONVENIENCES: This is the second test of your patience. We hate to be delayed. We, the modern generation have developed a microwave mentality – we want everything in seconds. We have Minute Noodles, Instant Coffee and Fast Food. We don’t like to wait. A hundred years back people didn’t worry if they missed a cart; they could always catch another one in a day or two. Today we have a heart attack if we miss a revolving door! We are in such a hurry. We have to get going. We can’t wait. Are you patient despite the inconvenience?
IRRITATIONS: This is the third test of your patience – those little things in life that bug you. Traffic jams, long queues, misplaced keys, flat tires, occupied bathrooms, and you could make out your own list. Some of these irritations are controllable but most of them aren’t. We have to learn to cope. We must learn the lessons of the oyster. The oyster takes an irritation – a grain of sand – and turns it into pearl. Learning to respond to irritations positively will enable you to transform your irritations into pearls. How do you handle irritations?
INACTIVITY: This is the fourth test of your patience. Most of us would rather do anything but wait. We hate to wait in the doctor’s dispensary, stand in line at the supermarket, or be confined to bed rest. Isn’t it interesting how we admire patience in the driver who is behind us but not in the one ahead of us? How do you handle inactivity?
The Bible says, “Impatience will get you into trouble” (Proverbs 19:2). Medical researchers agree with that. They have discovered a whole new disease called “HURRY SICKNESS”. They proved that 90% of heart attack victims have this “hurried” type personality. Their habitual impatience gets them into trouble.
What causes impatience? A lack of peace. When you have peace in your heart, almost nothing can make you impatient. But when you do not have peace in your heart, almost anything can make you impatient.
How can you become a patient person? Patience begins by changing the way you view something. When you are impatient, you have a limited perspective. All you see is yourself, your needs, your goals, your wants, your schedule and how people are messing up your life. The root of impatience is selfishness. So you need to get a new perspective on life. You need to learn to see things from other people’s point of view. The secret of life lies in learning to see life from other’s point of view. To be a successful husband or wife, learn to see life from your partner’s point of view. To be a successful parent, learn to see life from your child’s point of view. To be a successful businessperson, learn to see life from your customer’s point of view. To be a successful employer, learn to see life from the employees’ point of view.
Proverbs 19:11 says, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience.” And wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view, getting God’s perspective on a situation.
The final step in developing patience is to depend on God. Patience is not merely a matter of human will power but is the fruit of the spirit. Patience is a form of faith. It says, “I trust God. I believe that God is bigger than this problem. And I believe that God has his hands in these irritations and can use them in my life for good.”
The Bible is a book of waiting. Why? Because waiting demonstrates faith and pleases God.
The hardest kind of waiting happens when you are in a hurry and God is not. It is hard to be patient when you are waiting for an answer to prayer; waiting for a miracle, or waiting for God to change your financial condition or your health problem of your wife, husband or your children or your relative who is sick-ridden. It is hard when you’re in a hurry and God isn’t, but waiting patiently is an evidence of faith. It is also a test of Faith.
Faith helps us look at life from God’s point of view. It is to call to mind that God is never late and His timing is perfect and he doesn’t move according to our schedule but He is always on time.
How willing are you to wait on the Lord?
Thanks for being so patient to read thro’ this. I’m sure you are blessed by reading this. Please feel free to share it with others!
No comments:
Post a Comment