Patience-
This is the word for today. I speak PATIENCE over my life. Speak this word over your life, marriage and family.
Someone once said, “Two things define you: your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.”
Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to wait with a good attitude.
It’s interesting that as I am writing this, I have a long list of things that I need to do. I have another list of things that I want to do. As I think about them I am feeling impatient right now.
What is the purpose of patience? Patience removes the irritation and anxiety and it brings a peace and calm. You simply feel better and are better because of patience.
But this easier said than done. Patience is an attribute that has to be developed. Instinctively we are impatient. That’s why as children we cried when we were hungry, tired or needed a diaper change. Instinctively we reacted impatiently. We have to learn to be patient when things don’t go our way.
Isn’t it interesting and frustrating at how fast impatience rises up in our lives? In a traffic jam, a long grocery line, or a looming deadline at work, it is easy to be overtaken by the feeling of anxiety, stress and frustration. This is because we have not developed the right balance of patience in our lives.
The next time you feel overwhelmed and impatient, do three things.
- Look at something that creates peace and calm. Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
- Think of something that creates peace and calm. Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
- Say something that creates peace and calm. Psalm 40:1 “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.”
For example, if you are in a long grocery line. Instead of focusing on the person with 4000 coupons in front of you, look at a picture on your phone of a tranquil beach or your beautiful family. Refocus by looking at something else. Then, think about how pleasant it would be to be on a beach somewhere soaking in some rays. Next, tell yourself, ‘I’m not in a hurry. Everything is going to be alright. The world is not going to come to an end if I am delayed for five minutes.’
Oftentimes we have to remind ourselves of these things to reduce the anxiety and bring the calm.
This is how you develop patience.
Patience- “Use it before you lose it.”