Category: Patience

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Learning By Repetition

This morning I began thinking about how many things in my life I have learned through repetition.

Some of the first were walking and talking. I learned the notes on my piano by practicing my scales, over and over again. I became skilled in shifting a manual transmission but not on my first drive, it was through repetition.

The first time I tried to french braid my daughter’s long hair it was a disaster. I brushed it out and put her hair in a pony tail. My first attempt at cinnamon rolls was so bad that I called them cinnamon crackers.

With repetition comes increased skill. This week I have been increasing my skill in patience. Patience in learning new things, patience with weak internet signals and patience with others.

I really thought I was a pretty patient person but this week I found there were still some really rough edges that needed to be refined. I am so thankful that the Father is always patient with me even when I’m not.

The Lord has shown me that I need to be more understanding and less frustrated with things beyond my control. It’s my responsibility to maintain a good attitude in everything. Everything!

“Since the day we heard these things about you, we have continued praying for you. This is what we pray:

that God will make you completely sure of what he wants by giving you all the wisdom and spiritual understanding you need; 10 that this will help you live in a way that brings honor to the Lord and pleases him in every way; that your life will produce good works of every kind and that you will grow in your knowledge of God; 11 that God will strengthen you with his own great power, so that you will be patient and not give up when troubles come. Then you will be happy 12 and give thanks to the Father. He has made you able to have what he has promised to give all his holy people, who live in the light.” Colossians 1:9-12 ERV

Patient and not give up!

I won’t give up! I won’t give up as I learn patience. I will let the Lord work through me and not become condemned when I am impatient. I will be patient with myself as I learn patience because He is always patient with me.

If you’re still learning patience like I am be thankful that the Lord is always patient, loving and kind!

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Helping Others

What are your strengths?

Maybe you are a great cook or baker. Perhaps you’re mechanical and can fix everything. Do you have an easy grasp of technology? Are you a critical thinker and have great wisdom in ascertaining the solution to problems?

Now, let me ask this question. Do you ever get frustrated with others who don’t have your strengths? You help them out but then get irritated because they just don’t seem to get it?

I have to admit that was me yesterday…I got frustrated. I don’t think the person I was helping realized it but I was. I had to apologize to them for having a “bull-in-a-china-shop” approach. I was wrong.

Aren’t you glad that the Holy Spirit is a gentle teacher?

We should seek to help others with a patient spirit.

“Even Christ did not live trying to please himself. As the Scriptures say about him, “Those people who insulted you have also insulted me.”[a] 4 Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. Those things were written so that we could have hope. That hope comes from the patience and encouragement that the Scriptures give us. 5 All patience and encouragement come from God. And I pray that God will help you all agree with each other, as Christ Jesus wants. 6 Then you will all be joined together. And all together you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:3-6 ERV

I have to remind myself that not everyone it like me, thank you Lord!

I have learned much about working with people from the characters of Winnie the Pooh.

Pooh is amicable and is a friend to everyone. He tries to help anyone who has a need. Tigger just wants to have fun and doesn’t play attention to details and sometimes hurts those he loves most. Piglet wants to do what’s right but needs lots of encouragement. Rabbit just wants everyone to get busy, there’s work to be done. Owl has a story to tell about everything and gives lots of advice. Eyore is moody and depressed and has no self-esteem.

I would like to be like Pooh and see the strengths in all my friends and help them in their weaknesses. But mostly I want to be like Jesus and follow His leading.

“So, as a prisoner for the Lord, I beg you to live the way God’s people should live, because he chose you to be his. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient and accept each other with love. 3 You are joined together with peace through the Spirit. Do all you can to continue as you are, letting peace hold you together.” Ephesians 4:1-3 ERV

Let the Lord show you how to help others today and do it with a cheerful heart!

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A New Way of Life – Patience

Some years back I was in the breakroom where I worked. A young man came in, retrieved his lunch from the fridge and put it in the microwave. As he stood there waiting the one minute, thirty seconds of cooking time he was tapping his fingers on the counter and muttering “hurry up already”. I found that very humorous; you see I’m from the age before microwaves, instant messaging and overnight shipping.

Yesterday I was taken back to that age, the age of slower living. I had packages to drop off at the local post office. When I arrived there was a line to the door. I knew from being there last week that only one clerk was working and the line spacing was every five feet. Had to have been at least ten people waiting and it would be at least thirty minutes. I left.

I also had business that needed the assistance of a personal banker at the local branch. I was met at the door and not allowed to enter the waiting area, although I had a mask on. Instead the bank employee retrieved an appointment page and gave me an appointment for Thursday at 11. I thanked the employee but to be perfectly honest I was miffed.

Life as usual has changed. I needed to be more patient. It wasn’t their fault; they were trying to abide by safety guidelines and I needed to understand that. Things are going to be this way for a while – it will be a slower pace, I need to be prepared to wait.

“A patient person is very smart. A quick-tempered person makes stupid mistakes. 30 Peace of mind makes the body healthy, but jealousy is like a cancer.” Proverbs 14:29-30 ERV

Once I got home I found I had to rearrange the rest of my week’s schedule because an appointment had to be rescheduled which caused me to make alternative arrangements with several other appointments. “Ok, Lord! I’m learning to be obedient to Your word. I won’t yell at the microwave and I won’t allow my words to be unkind. I will be patient.”

If you’ve had a day like this, I’m sorry. If you haven’t, you will. The staff and employees we are dealing with aren’t at fault. They need our understanding; they need our encouragement, a kind word and a smile. We are Jesus’ goodwill ambassadors!

“Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time.” Romans 12:12 ERV

My night ended with a smile. We received a Facetime call from our youngest daughter and her family. All three of our little grandchildren had “something to show you”. One is crawling, one had drawn a picture and one had a handful of markers and was telling us the colors. Mom and Dad were having family time and included Dave and I. The perfect ending to a long day.

Have a great day and remember to be patient!

“God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.” Galatians 5:22-23 CEV

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Not A Good Waiter

Have you ever been to a restaurant and had a bad waiter? It’s one thing if the place is busy and the staff is overworked, that’s understandable but it’s entirely different when the staff is lazy and nonattentive.

Most of us don’t wait well.

How do you spend your time when you have to wait? An expectant mother will plan and act. There’s a crib that needs to be purchased, the nursery needs paint. Booties and blankets need to be knitted or crocheted…there are so many things to do. School kids wait for summer vacation and they daydream of all the fun things they will experience – ball games, staying up late, fishing trips, swim parties, campouts in the backyard.

Wait!

Today is Friday. Friday used to be the most anticipated day of the work week. It meant the weekend was here. Some would go to work on Monday morning and announce “I can’t wait until Friday, I’ve got so much planned for the weekend”. But here we are and we wait.

“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. 14 Wait patiently for the Lord.  Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 NLT

The Bible has good examples of people who waited for the Lord and they were not disappointed. Abraham waited twenty-five years for the son God promised him to be born. Joseph waited thirteen years before the Lord placed him in leadership over his brothers and the Egyptians. Noah waited on the ark for the waters to subside. David waited, with Saul chasing him through the desert, to be crowned king. All of those in the nation of Israel waited for the Messiah to be born.

We can take two attitudes when it comes to waiting. Waiting can be tiring. Waiting can be discouraging. Or waiting can be filled with excitement and celebration. I get excited waiting for friends and family to come for a visit. A bride is filled with joy as she waits for her wedding day.

“The Lord gives strength to those who are weary. 30 Even young people get tired, then stumble and fall. 31 But those who trust (wait on) the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired.” Isaiah 40:29-31 CEV

The Lord will give us strength and purpose while we wait. Waiting is not a time for inactivity. Just remember that “bad waiter” in the restaurant – don’t be like her. She wasn’t attentive, she didn’t take care of the needs at hand. She didn’t fill our water glasses or coffee cups, take our order or refilled our appetizers. We were ignored – not good.

Our goal is to be actively waiting! What can we do while waiting?

If waiting is worrisome then apply these verses to your life.

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7 Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.” Philippians 4:6-7 CEV

Be a good waiter!

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Step By Step

Do you get frustrated by small victories? Most of us would like to lose ten pounds at a time, reduce our waist line in inches not by the half inch and be able to run a 5K without being winded on the first day out.

Next to that we would like to see our savings account grow by thousands and not just by ten or twenty dollars. When I was younger I wanted to sit down and play a simple concerto before I knew the scales or where Middle C was on the keyboard.

We see others win the trophies, get the promotion, drive the nicer car or live in the bigger house and feel we deserve one too but without the effort and dedication that “they” put forth.

Little by little. Step by Step. That’s how success and mastery come.

Most of us like to see big, flamboyant results! Great strides of success and not the little daily victories but that’s not how it happens. I was reminded of that while I was reading about the Israelites and what God told them about going into the “Promised Land”. They had already seen some “big” miracles and now the Lord was also revealing Himself to them in their daily living, step by step.

“Worship only me, the Lord your God! I will bless you with plenty of food and water and keep you strong. 26 Your women will give birth to healthy children, and everyone will live a long life. 27 I will terrify those nations and make your enemies so confused that they will run from you. 28 I will make the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites panic as you approach. 29 But I won’t do all this in the first year, because the land would become poor, and wild animals would be everywhere. 30 Instead, I will force out your enemies little by little and give your nation time to grow strong enough to take over the land.” Exodus 23:24-29 CEV

The Lord promised to bless them during their daily living, blessings; plenty of good food and water; healthy wives and children; long life and victory over their enemies!

But the victories would come little by little. If they had completely defeated all the enemies in their new land immediately the Lord said the land would have been overrun by wild animals and the land would have been poorly used. They needed time to grow into what God was bringing them too.

We all need time to grow into what God is bringing to us. We would love to have all our enemies defeated and battles over immediately but it doesn’t happen that way. We grow in what God is calling us to do. If we excelled too quickly we would have to fight the wild beasts of pride or boasting, claiming personal glory for what the Lord had done for us.

Each day is a time of growth, each day has miracles of provision and purpose. Each day we need to recognize what the Lord is doing in our lives and through our lives and be grateful. Each day we need to remind ourselves of His abundant blessings – what did the Lord do for us yesterday?

Stop and think – can’t see anything big or noteworthy? Then realize what He kept you from; illness, accident, ruin, attack, and be grateful for the unseen blessings. Each day, little by little, step by step He is growing you stronger and stronger and giving you a land that flows with milk and honey!

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Surrounded With Patience

I had some very good English teachers when I was in Junior High and High School. They taught me to love language; to look for the familiar in unfamiliar places. So this morning while looking at the word patience I wasn’t surprised by what I found in the center of the word.

I – I am in the center of patient, three letters before and three letters after. The same holds true with the word impatience; five letters before and four letters after. No wonder “I” have trouble with patience sometimes, I want things centered around me.

Impatience is a fruit of selfishness! Think about that, it is something I heard Joyce Meyer say years ago and I haven’t forgotten it.

It’s true – “I” don’t have time to wait; “I” could do it better; “I” deserve to be treated better than this; “I” told you to do it “my” way. And it goes on and on. Most of our objections around things that make us impatient start with I.

How contrary that is to God’s character! He waited for just the right time to send Jesus. Jesus walked this earth teaching the same thing over and over, God’s love for us and His plan for our restoration. People didn’t get it. And now God is waiting again, He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

In John 13, we read the story of Jesus final Passover celebration with his disciples before His crucifixion. He takes the role of a servant and starts washing the disciples feet. Peter objects, he didn’t understand what Jesus was doing but Jesus doesn’t become impatient. He took time to explain His purpose to Peter and still he misunderstood…

“It was almost time for the Jewish Passover festival. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. Jesus had always loved the people in the world who were his. Now was the time he showed them his love the most.

2 Jesus and his followers were at the evening meal. The devil had already persuaded Judas Iscariot to hand Jesus over to his enemies. (Judas was the son of Simon.) 3 The Father had given Jesus power over everything. Jesus knew this. He also knew that he had come from God. And he knew that he was going back to God. 4 So while they were eating, Jesus stood up and took off his robe. He got a towel and wrapped it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers’ feet. He dried their feet with the towel that was wrapped around his waist.

6 He came to Simon Peter. But Peter said to him, “Lord, you should not wash my feet.” 7 Jesus answered, “You don’t know what I am doing now. But later you will understand.” 8 Peter said, “No! You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “If I don’t wash your feet, you are not one of my people.” 9 Simon Peter said, “Lord, after you wash my feet, wash my hands and my head too!”

10 Jesus said, “After a person has a bath, his whole body is clean. He needs only to wash his feet. And you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 Jesus knew who would hand him over to his enemies. That is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” John 13:1-11 ERV

Countless times the Lord has been patient with our failings, our shortcomings, our wanderings. He has been there to pick us up, welcome us home and encourage us to “go our way and sin no more”.

And now He is asking us to become patient with ourselves and with others, to show them the same love and compassion He has shown to us. When we are patient, we are Christ-like and our lives will reflect His love.

“My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. 3 You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. 4 If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.” James 1:2-4 ERV

Remember, “I” am surrounded by patience. Patiently love those surround you today!

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