Patience

How many of us are really able to practice this in our lives today? Given the way most of us live our lives we view patience as being able to wait in the drive-thru line for more than two minutes. Even when we have to do that, we do not wait with patience but with frustration. Patience is the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties. So to be patience is really waiting on things without frustration or anger. We must be able to wait on things sometimes and this is very difficult to do when we want things to happen "our way" and "now."
We have a tendency to say to ourselves "I want what I want, when I want it, and I want it now." We have little patience to allow God to work at the pace of perfection. We assert our own will's and ego's. It is much like if I planted a tomato seed in the ground. Sometime later, a sprout comes out of the ground and I look at it and cry, "where is the fruit?" I want it now so we attempt to hurry this perfect process along a little bit. I water it more, give it more fertilizer, and pull on the top of it to get it to grow faster. I hope that you are thinking "but you will kill it." Exactly, and this is what happens when we assert ourselves, our ego's, over what God would like to do in our lives and attempt to make the circumcstances of our lives different - now! We kill the dreams we have, we disconnect from God and plans the Creator has for us, and we must start all over again. We actually delay the appearence of "fruit" in our lives when we are not patient. The scripture tells us in James 5:6-7

Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master's Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.

I wonder how often we are "steady and strong" rather than angry and frustrated when presented with the opportunity for patience? That is right the opportunity to be patience and let God work our life to perfection. Will we let God work in our life or continue to move to fast for things to grow?

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

James 1:3-4

There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

Romans 5:3-5

Today try patience on and see how it works. Let your heart be calm and peaceful in the presence of things that would normally cause anger and frustration. Allow God to work in whatever way and see if you find that you will never be shortchanged! Namaste'