Kathy Carlton Willis, God's Grin Gal, always encourages readers to see life through a biblical perspective and not lose their joy in life. In this New Year's UPGRADE, she addresses the topic of patience—when and how to cultivate it.
“We often comment on how good or bad our waiter is at a restaurant, but I’m not earning any good waiter awards these days when it comes to waiting on life stuff,” Kathy says.
Waiting is hard for me (Dawn) too. Patience is definitely a character trait I need to cultivate! Kathy has wise, helpful counsel for all of us.
Kathy continues . . .
Probably the hardest thing for me, and most of you, is the trial of hurry up and wait. Left unchecked, it tests my patience, challenges my contentment, and sours my joy.
If you are in a season not of your own choosing, you might find yourself wishing for something different or more.
Answers or solutions.
In this era of supply chain shortages, there are much more serious shortages going on.
When it comes to waiting, a lack of patience will practically do us in.
Sometimes, we need the delay for God to prepare us for the answer He is customizing for His purpose to come true in our lives.
Our job when we sense silence on the other end of our prayers is simple.
Wait.
And in the wait, we trust.
And in the trust, we grow patience.
And when patience has grown up, it becomes endurance.
Then we’re ready to run the faith marathon designed with us in mind.
Isn’t it curious that the very thing that causes us to feel impatient is an example of God’s patience? We think He’s being quiet, or even absent from our lives because of our situation. The opposite is true—He is forever present with us.
Having God with us is more important than having—well, anything!
When we have that, the weight of the wait is lifted. (The best kind of “wait-lifting.”)
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2–4 NLT)
Patience is only developed during the wait, never in the rush.
What happens when we wait impatiently? Whether we wait with patience or impatience, it takes just as long, but when we’re impatient, we’re miserable.
Let’s trade our impatience for a new coping skill to help reframe our outlook.
How to Develop Your Patience Muscle
Patience is never more needed and never less present than when we are dealing with a time-out or pause. It’s always best to develop patience ahead of time so that muscle memory shows up when you need it.
Here are some tips.
1. Galatians 5 lists patience as a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
That means it’s up to the Holy Spirit to act in patience through us, and it’s up to us to be yielded to the Spirit.
What does it mean to be yielded or surrendered to the Spirit? It involves us being willing to follow His lead instead of the selfish desires that contradict Scripture.
2. Don’t expect your circumstances to change.
Patience is pumped up just like working a muscle during weightlifting—when it is tested.
3. Know that all human beings struggle with impatience, and only a few learn to be patient during difficult times.
It’s easier to get frustrated than to have faith, and our go-to tends to be in crisis mode rather than choosing to be in Christ.
4. Patience needs to be stored up ahead of time for when you need it, and it gets depleted easily.
Being in God’s Word and talking with Him in the good times banks spiritual fruit for you to have available during the bad times.
5. If you find yourself lacking patience, look through God’s eyes of grace toward the situation or person frustrating you.
This will allow you to put up with much more.
6. Sometimes the person you need to have patience toward is yourself.
Reduce your unrealistic expectations. Allow more do-overs. Confess your flaws to God and ask Him to transform your life.
7. When you realize that your purpose in life is so much bigger than this current circumstance, your ability to be more patient will flourish.
Strive to look at the big picture—the kingdom picture.
8. Patience helps you trust God more.
Trusting God helps you build more patience. They go together. When you have something to hang your hope on, you can wait with patience for all the details to be worked out according to God’s purpose.
9. If you are a Christ follower, you are a temple of God, and conduit for the Spirit to flow through you.
Patience moves unhindered through open conduit but is restricted when that conduit is plugged with pride and self.
10. When you choose to be impatient, you willfully refuse God’s equipment to help you cope with your current situation.
Patience is an act of obedience—evidence of a yielded, Spirit-filled life.
11. Practicing patience is not the same thing as stagnating.
It doesn’t mean you are complacent or compromising. It means you are content in the wait but eager with hope for the next God-thing. It’s not passive.
Patience is active—acting on God’s Word to stand your ground until He moves you on.
12. Patience gives you time to grow a more intimate relationship with the Father.
What New Year’s goal will you set to strengthen your patience muscle?
Kathy Carlton Willis is God’s Grin Gal. She writes and speaks with a balance of funny and faith—whimsy and wisdom. Over a thousand of Kathy’s articles
have been published and she has several books in her Grin Gal brand. Today’s Upgrade with Dawn is inspired by Kathy’s latest book, Your Life on Hold: Don’t Hate the Wait. Consider joining one of Kathy’s groups for 2023. More information at www.kathycarltonwillis.com.
Graphic adapted, courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels.