Patience. Ever since we were kids our parents always told us, "Be patient!" whenever we were waiting in line or waiting to go somewhere. Patience is a lesson we have always been taught, but it is no surprise that some people have heaps more patience than others. We talk so much about it when we are young but now that we're older nobody really likes to talk about it. When people are impatient they turn rude and tempered, and it seems that everyone is impatient nowadays. Honestly, it shouldn't be a surprise due to the fact that we live in such a fast-paced world where we have everything we need at our fingertips in a quick manner. That's just the world we are living in, so when we have to actually wait for something, we tend to get impatient quickly instead of staying calm. So since no one else wants to tell you what you need to hear, here's the mom in me telling you, "BE PATIENT!"
Our lives are a constant going and we are always trying to do things as quickly as possible but I am here challenging you to take a step back, and slow down. What's the rush? Instead of getting tempered and annoyed when you have to wait for something, let's take a second to stay calm and be present in the moment. Stop focusing on what's next, and start focusing on what's now. I get caught up in it too, don't get me wrong, but this summer I realized that patience isn't just something you are born with, it is a choice. You choose to stay calm and choose patience, or you choose to be anxious and choose impatience. Let me tell you, life feels so much fuller choosing to patient in it. So what the line for coffee is taking "forever"? So what your internet isn't going as fast as you would like? So what you got stuck in traffic on your way home? If we choose patience, these situations don't have to be negative, they can be times of growth and life. Now I'm not just talking about being patient in the things of the world, I'm also saying to be patient in the Lord.
God doesn't always answer our prayers right away, but in His time, He will provide what He has planned. That is so hard to wrap our minds around and to understand and accept, but in all honesty that is what God calls us to do.
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." -Romans 12:12
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." -Exodus 14:14
"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." -2 Peter 3:8
" Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." -1 Peter 5:6
No matter what, God is going to make things happen in His time, whether you like it or not. I found myself wanting things right now and getting angry with the Lord when He wasn't giving it to me. I was asking, seeking, and knocking, and He wasn't giving me the desires of my heart. It was when I started learning about patience that I finally realized God was telling me, "Child, just wait, I will provide for you in due time." He called me to be still and since then I have seen just how much better life can be when we make that decision to choose patience. It is not easy by any means, it is actually quite challenging, but it is so much more joyous to say, "Alright God, I'm trusting you!" instead of demanding answers now. Yes it is scary, but what is coming is far better than anything we could ever imagine and if that doesn't make you happy just thinking about it then I don't know what will!
So take it from me, choose patience and trust in the Lord and in His timing. The next time you find yourself waiting and becoming impatient, take that time to count the blessings that you do have and making it a time of growth. God is faithful to His patient servants, and He will answer you in His time. Let's start living in the now instead of living in the future, let's start slowing down instead of speeding up, and let's start choosing patience in times of waiting.
"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
-Romans 8:25
