All my life, from the mouths of friends, family, coworkers and even teachers, I have always been told "patience is a virtue". And of course, that would just make my impatient self even more angry/frustrated! I can't even count the times those words have been spoken to me {and the times I would have loved to interject and scream out, "then I'm not virtuous. Deal with it!"}. Probably because I didn't even know what the heck that saying meant until I finally googled it when I was about 16, haha!
So, why
is patience such a virtue?
vir·tue/ˈvərCHo͞o/
| Noun: |
- Behavior showing high moral standards: "paragons of virtue".
- A quality considered morally good or desirable in a person.
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Okay, I can still think of
a million, a hundred ten ways I can be virtuous without having patience: the 10 Commandments! BUT while searching the Bible for "escape clauses" that would justify me to still live an amazing Christian life without patience, I realized something.
Something very important and heart-changing.
God doesn't urge us to have patience for the sake of others or even just because it would make Him happy.
Patience is a virtue unlike many others because
it is something we do for OURSELVES.
- It is what helps us to live a life that is even more in the image of Christ (Galatians 5:22-23)
- It opens the door for us to inherit God's promises (Hebrews 6:11-12)
- Builds our trust in God (Romans 8:24-25)
- Creates strength and endurance(James 1:3)
- Most importantly, it forms us into more of an example for those around us (1 Timothy 1:16)
So now my prayer is that these words won't just be written in vain, but that the next time I am dying for God to show me my future in a crystal ball, for us to hurry up and start our business already, have kids, travel the world, or even just get the ball joint on our truck put back together (the current frustration), I will remember that by going through those circumstances I am also
shaping my character and forming myself into the woman I hope to become.
** Sorry this wasn't a lighthearted post, but sometimes the truth hurts.
love always,
4 comments:
I read a great post yesterday (I can't remember where!) about how we feel the pressure to do "everything" and in a certain order too. God is shaping us to be who He wants us to be, and it some of us take a little longer at certain phases of our life. For example, everyone and their sister has a baby. I know we're not ready for that, but it still doesn't make me feel any better when I don't fit into the "We've been married 3 years and should have children by now" mold. Thanks for writing out a great reminder!
Thanks for sharing, often I forget that God has a plan for everyone and everyones is different :-) When I remember that I don't feel like we have to "rush" to have kids or to do certain things but to enjoy our life being married and cherish the moments and memories we have in now and look forward to the future!
I loved reading this. Sometimes it is so hard to be patient and wait on him to work in our lives but what you wrote is so true. Patience is working within ourselves. Love that! Thanks for the reminder that patience is a virtue that I want to have.
I love this post! It is something I really need to work on.
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