Patience Precedes

Patience precedes all great things in life. It is only through patience that we achieve anything impressively large, bigger than ourselves, lasting, powerful, or useful. We all want to be a part of greatness, yet not all are willing to endure the patience it requires. Patience is by definition the capacity for waiting; the ability to endure waiting and delay without becoming annoyed or upset; or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties. We live in a world of immediacy. Waiting is not tolerated. If we get annoyed just sitting at a red light, imagine the struggle to wait on the bigger things in life. We can start learning to wait with the little opportunities we have each day like standing in the grocery line, waiting at practice to master a new skill, or sitting in traffic. We serve a patient God, yet often I get impatient with God. I remind Him of the time, wondering if He is aware of how long I’ve been waiting or how little time I have to wait. He then reminds me that He made time. When we look at it from His angle, it seems crazy to be impatient with the One who has waited on us to come, acknowledge, trust, and surrender. He has waited patiently for us. Now let us, in view of God’s enduring love, walk in His patience.