Patience…not one of my strongest virtues, but I’m working on it.
I’ve made strides recently with patience in some matters. I still have a long way to go in others.
Dictionary.com defines patience:
1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence
Yikes! While I’ve made strides, I certainly am not the living example of that definition!
In some matters, yes….in others, no.
God has given me the same lesson multiple times in different areas concerning patience, I’m finally catching on!
As God knows (and pretty much everyone who knows me), I want to move! I need to move! In the past, I’d make things work to move and ultimately it’d be a bad move. This time, I’ve been patient for many many months….though I did complain (so perhaps I wasn’t that patient after all according to the dictionary) about the neighbors funky music, kids screaming/cussing up a storm in the courtyard, neighbors fighting, etc. Now though, I am standing in faith and being patient. I’d been desperately searching for a new place to move, then realized doing anything out of desperation probably isn’t the right way of doing things. So, I stopped searching, figured I’d be patient and wait. Then, a condo rental literally fell into my hands-a quiet peaceful complex, building located at rear corner of complex (so no kids, no screaming), the unit itself located on top floor on outside corner as well (only one neighbor to side of me, not totally surrounded!). Met with the realtor and we have a verbal agreement it’s mine! Now to be patient, waiting on association rules, work to be done in the unit, etc. and wait for the moving date. This patience thing is working! I’m still tolerating the nastiness in this complex, knowing that soon I’ll be out of here!
And, look what the Word says about patience (how fitting):
Put your hope in the Lord.
Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
You will see the wicked destroyed.
Psalm 37:34
Okay, so renting a condo isn’t “land”, but it works for me!
I’m also being patient and casting other cares to Him to deal with (ie: selling a business quickly &; at the price I want along with other things).
Not that I should be one to really talk about patience, because like I said it’s taken me a loooong time to get to this point and I’m still a work in progress. However, it may just show that a once stubborn, head strong, “I’ll do it my way” type can be patient trusting in Him.
Here are few more scriptures that pertain to patience and have helped me on a daily basis.
“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14
“Those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” Psalm 37:9
“Blessed are those who wait for His help.” Isaiah 30:18
“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him.” Lamentations 3:25