Let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. (James 1:4)
If you have not developed patience, then having to wait may bring out the worst in you. At least that was the case with me until I finnaly realized my emotional reactions were not making things go faster. The Vines Greek Dictionary states that patience is a fruit of the Spirit that grows only when we are subjected to trials. We would all like to be patient, but we don’t want to develop patience because that means behaving well while we are not getting what we want. And that’s hard!
Some people are naturaly more patient than others due to their temperament, but I have found that even every patient people have at least a few things that irritate them more than others. As you may have guessed, Dave is very patient. Waiting does not bother him all that much. He would be fine in the traffic jam on the highway, unless of course it was going to make him late for his golf tee time. He is a bit impatient with drivers on the road who do things he is sure he would never do. But since his personality is easygoing and adaptable, waiting isn’t that hard for him. It was however, very hard for me for many years. I finally realized that God consistently allowed me to be put in situations where I had no choice but to wait, and He did it so I could develop patience.
Patience is extremely important for people who want to glorify God and enjoy their lives. If one is impatient, the situations they encounter in life will certainly cause them to react emotionally. The next time you have to wait on something or someone, instead of just reacting, try talking to yourself a little. You might drink, Getting upset will not make this go any faster, so I might as well enjoy the wait. Then perhaps say out loud, “I am developing patience as I wait so I am thankful for this situation.” By doing that, you will be acting on the Word of God rather than reacting to the unpleasant circumstance.
Each time we exercise patience, we strengthen it, just as we develop our muscles each time we exercise them. We get sore when we exercise, and it hurts, but we know it is helping us. We can look at exercising patience the same way. Don’t merely think about how hard and frustrating it is, but think about how peaceful you will be when waiting never bothers you.
Do you wait well? How do you act when you’re working with someone who is really slow at what they are trying to do? How does getting caught in a traffic jam affect you? What if someone takes the parking space you have been waiting for? The more intensely we want something, the more our emotions will act up if we do not get it. Sometimes what we want is simply more important to us than it should be, and we need to realize that and not behave childishly. Common sense tells us that it is rather foolish to get into a rage over a parking space or some of the other simple things people tend to get upset about. What situations are difficult for you? How do you behave emotionally when you have to wait? On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you handle yourself when things don’t go your way? I have found that honest answers to questions like these are helpful in making progress toward managing our emotions.
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