Learning Patience...Now!

Ever struggle with patience? I’ve often wondered when I will master the art of patience. When I will really be able to wait on God’s timing without getting antsy, without forcing my own way.

Sometimes, my life is marked by impatience.

I want to know what’s after graduation….today.

I want to lose weight…today.

I want to be fantastic at this new thing I decided to attempt…today.

I want to get married…today.

And lately, I’ve been reflecting on this impatience in my life. Where does it come from? Why do I struggle with it over and over again? Why does it seem like God has to keep teaching me the same lesson about patience? When will I learn?

And I’ve realized that impatience, at least for me, comes from a desire to skip the journey and just get to the result. But the thing is, the journey is what makes it all worth while.

I’m about to graduate with my masters. This has definitely been a journey. When I started this program, I was only planning to get a few credit hours for personal enhancement (and to qualify myself for a job opportunity I was pursuing). And somewhere in the first year, God made it pretty clear I needed to stay and finish this degree.

And I’m going to be honest. Letting go of my plan and my time frame was one of the hardest things I have done. What started out as maybe a year has become a three and a half year journey. And many times along the way, I have wished that I could have my degree…today.

And now that reality is right down the road. And I look back and see this journey that I have been on. I see its ups and its downs and I realize I wouldn’t trade that journey for anything. Because in that journey, I discovered a bit more about who I am…and more importantly, a bit more about who God is.

I read so much about patience in the Bible. “Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4).“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).  “And after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised” (Hebrews 6:15).

And here's one thing I’ve learned about patience: it goes hand in hand with faith. I can be patient in affliction because I have faith that God sees a bigger plan. I can be patient like Abraham, waiting for God to fulfill his plans for my life, because I trust his character. I can love patiently because God is so patient in the way he loves me.

And so I look at these things that I am impatient about: my future, my body image, my hobbies, my future family, and I see amazing journeys ahead…and there is no telling what the next turn will bring.