Learning Patience

Humph…. oh….I groaned as I looked at my watch. Why is the queue taking so long? I looked ahead at the lady at the front of the counter and saw an old lady getting something out of her purse. She was moving very slowly and so again I sighed….. Ah well it is going to take a bit longer.

My mother’s words crept into my mind. “Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can ……”

I started thinking over this saying. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. So, patience is a quality that is deemed to be morally good for me.

I had more time now so on my phone I started using the internet and looked up a scripture that came to mind.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (endurance) But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:2 NKJV

So my waiting in line patiently can work in me to become more perfect, a more complete person. It can teach me to endure in other areas of my life.

…we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance (patience), and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, (does not disappoint) because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Romans 5:3-5 NRSV

So this waiting in line, this patience that I needed would help me in my character and produce hope…..

It would also produce a calm, serene, happy person, let alone the peace, happiness and calmness all the others waiting in line around me would receive from me……

My attitude changed. I stopped feeling peeved and thanked the Lord for giving me an opportunity to be patient, to learn to endure better the things that come your way in life.

Where do you need to learn endurance? So that your character is built, and hope can be poured into your Heart more from Our God.

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Has there been a specific situation where you felt God was asking you to be patient?

What can you do to build endurance and perseverance?