Attitudes to Cultivate: Patience

By Rose H.

Patience. Not getting ticked off. Waiting calmly. Being kind to people even when they aren’t being kind to you.

Patience hasn’t been one of my strong suits. I want things now. I want quiet now. I want my lunch now. I want the task to be done now. I want my sibling to act more mature now. But the task whether raising kids or making dinner takes time. The more time that is involved, the more that we need patience.

Like anything in this life patience isn’t something you get overnight. It’s something that God grows in you. And He does it by putting us in situations where our patience is tested. The kids are acting up, and we didn’t sleep well. We are on the phone with a heavily accented tech person trying to get a computer problem fixed and they are being very much help. The person in the car in front of us is going way below the speed limit and now you are going to be late.

It’s in times like these when God grows patience in us. When we are at the breaking point. When we just want to blow off some steam. When we can’t take another minute. That’s when He teaches patience. Even though you can’t control the people around you, you can control how you react. And you can choose to be patient.

First of all. Just talk to God about how you are feeling. If you are close to boiling over, let Him in and let Him help you calm down.  Secondly just let it slide. Whoever is driving you up the wall needs to be forgiven. Then just go on your way carefully, be gentle and kind to everyone. It’s easy to blow up at people, it’s hard to use self-control and react in patience.

So next time the kids are driving you insane and dinner isn’t ready when you want it, just use it as an opportunity to practice patience. Come on let’s go.