The Pursuit of Patience 🦋

I often joke with people and tell them I once made the mistake of praying for patience. Okay so It wasn’t really a mistake, after all, acquiring patience is a fruit of the spirit as it makes us more like Jesus. My joke about mistakenly praying for patience stems from being naive. When I asked God for patience I assumed one day when He felt the time was right- there I would be, brand new and full of patience. I quickly realized as I began experiencing difficult situations that were testing my patience, this would not be something God just gave me… No, patience is a life long pursuit that God trains us to have. [If you are curious as to what motivated me to pray for patience, read [Faith and Fear Are Both Born in Uncertainty, Which Will You Choose?]

The Process of patience

I’m noticing I mention “the process” in almost every one of my blog posts, but gaining patience really does require us to go through a process. I do not know about you, but for me, I’m not naturally a patient person. In fact, I’ve even prayed for God to take me through the process faster. How on brand is that for me [answer:VERY]? Think about it I prayed to God for patience then tried to have him hurry up the process of gaining it… I am certain God has a great sense of humor and I picture him laughing at me in that moment- with love of course.

I believe the process of becoming patient helps us discern God’s voice as well as deepen our trust in him. Dr. Charles Stanley said it perfectly,

“Patience is a gift of God- it’s the Holy Spirit through us. We have to be strong and we have to take courage- why? Because there are pressures in life to rush you along.”

He then goes on to say, “Do you trust God enough to stay right where you are?”

Dr. Charles Stanley

Do you trust God Enough to stay right where you are?

That’s one of the questions that makes you slowly sink below your desk when asked, at least for me. I am often trying to get to the next thing- staying “still” doesn’t make much sense to me when I have things I would like to achieve, as do you. But when we become a custom to thinking about “I” and what we can do, we are ultimately leaving out God and what He can do.

I recently listened to an incredibly eye-opening sermon from Pastor T.D. Jakes that I could talk about for hours, but I”ll limit what He said down to this,

“Your faith is expressed through your silence and the devil may have plagued you with a spirit of urgency, but you need to wait. It’s not that you are wrong, it’s that the timing isn’t right. God said don’t make any decisions, just stand still.”

Pastor T.D. Jakes

A common theme between Dr. Charles Stanley’s and Pastor T.D. Jakes’ sermon is, just because God din’t give you a direct no, does not mean He gave you a direct yes. Wait until you hear what He is telling you to do. Remain Patient. Do not rush ahead and assume, be willing to wait.

There are things going on in the spiritual realm that we cannot see. God is fighting battles and breaking chains in areas that we didn’t even know needed to be broken. Your faith and your trust in God, even in moments where it is hard to remain patient is allowing him to fight for you. Remember, the battle is not ours, it’s his.

I mentioned in Struggling with God’s Timing that “Our willingness to surrender control allows us to see the amount of trust we have in God.” This can be applied in our willingness to hand over our timelines. Friends, God cares more about our character than our timeline.

How can We Aquire Patience

1. Prayer– Prayer is the weapon God has given his children. Be honest with God about your fears and your struggle with patience- invite him in. Inviting him in to help our hearts desire patience and to turn away from the things that distract us can make all the difference. Pray that God would reveal why you can trust him and keep growing your relationship together. You can’t trust someone if there isn’t a relationship.

2. Expressing Gratitude– By expressing gratitude we are remaining present which is contributing to our patience. When we start to focus on what we had or what we would like to gain- it often leads to frustration. You could do this by setting an alarm on your phone and labeling it “gratitude time” where you spend 2-5 minutes just being in God’s presence thanking him for what comes to mind. You could grab a notebook and journal a few things you are grateful for in the morning when you wake up and before you go to bed. When feelings of not being content pop-up, combat that with what you are grateful for!

*I use the Five Minute Gratitude Journal, which I love because it splits up morning and nighttime journaling and they also include little daily quotes. It’s also aesthetically pleasing to be honest-lol.

3. Trusting in God- Trusting that He will fulfill the promises He has made. Our God is not a liar and we can take hope in that. Reading + meditating over scriptures like Psalm 46:10 and Jeremiah 29:11 can help.