Well my friends, it seems another bone in this body is once again broken. But don't fret, I am well on my way to recovery. A little ice, some elevation, 3 or 4 advil, and a huge amount of patience and I'll be good as new. So, why is this so hard? Because there is pain. But even in the pain, you have to have patience that the pain will eventually cease. So, as I'm sitting here in agony (ha ha actually its really not that bad) I reflect on patience.
Patience has never been easy for me. I know, it's shocking isn't it? Some people can wait for hours for something and not think twice about it. Me? Not so much. LA traffic thoroughly exasperates me. Especially when I'm trying to go home. Winter/Summer breaks never seem to come fast enough. I hate just sitting in the dorm doing nothing. But lately that's all I've been able to do. Indeed, it seems the hardest part of being patient isn't waiting for good things to come, but rather for bad things to pass.
Because here's the thing. When you're not patient, it's wearisome. I thoroughly believe with the loss of patience there is the loss of peace. That's why Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." When we loose our pateince we become disheartened pessimists. Isn't it interesting how our outlooks on life completely change when we just have to sit and wait? It forces us to think bigger than ourselves. If forces us to rely on one who can and does control the situation. When we are left helpless we become blatantly aware of our need for God.
And sometimes it's hard to wait. God's answer is not always immediately yes or no. And when this happens as it currently is with the Dominican and Sea World battle I sit there thinking "Ah, God this is so frustrating! Why can't You just tell me?" But then He comes back with, "Because I already know. I'm all knowing and you're not ready yet. You need to trust me a little more with this. You need a little more pateince." I almost cringe at the word now because I know what it entails.
Patience is a call to endure and trust. And it's a strong determination of will to do so. So why go through the efforts? Because God is patient. 2 Peter 3:15, "Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him." I'm so glad that our God is patient or I would not have a hope in the world.
From this we take a lesson from Exodus 32. The Hebrews were finally free from Egypt, and they were sitting at the foot of Mount Sinai waiting for Moses to come back down from the mountain. Several of the people became restless and went to Aaron requesting that some gods be created for them to follow. So Aaron took their gold and created a sculpture of a calf. The people began to celebrate in "pagan revelry." The celebration angered the Lord, who told Moses that He was going to destroy the people. Moses prayed for their safety, and the Lord allowed the people to live. Yet, Moses was so angry with their impatience that he ordered that those not on the Lord's side be killed. The Lord then sent a "great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made."
I find this somewhat ironic. Here is a people that had literally waited for decades to be free from the Egyptians. They had just witnessed God part the Red Sea and completely wipe out the Egyptian army. They had seen what He had done to the firstborn of those who turned their backs on Him. Now all of a sudden, Moses goes up to Mt. Sinai and they're like "Oh, God's abandoned us!" We read this story and sit back and almost laugh at the idiocy. But this is no laughing matter. How many times has God proven Himself faithful to me? Well, how many days have I been alive?
Not only did the Hebrew's impatience bring an immediate plague, but it had consequences down the road too. Eventually it cost them their chance to enter the Promised Land. 40 years went by before their descendants were finally given the land. Sometimes God's timing is the most important, because he has other blessings to bestow. We cannot know all of His ways, so it is important to have trust in the delay. Eventually what will come your way will be better than you ever thought it could be, because it will come with God's blessings.
So besides blessings, what else is the purpose of being pateint? Well, I'm glad you asked because I have some thoughts on this. Patience keeps us faithful to the Lord. John 15:4, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." Patience keeps us on our toes. Mark 13:32, ""No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come."
Some times it's very hard to just sit and wait. But it's all for a reason. I'm thoroughly enjoying the rest from my busy schedule. And the fruit of pateince is not to wait only in the good times, but in the bad as well. It also means not taking out the flute player that practices until two in the morning downstairs. This is the hardest- patience in suffering. But always remember that God is faithful. He knows what He's doing and He hasn't forgotten you in the corner. So be content in waiting. Easier said than done I know.
Psalm 40:1, "For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry."
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