You'll notice that this post, unlike previous postings, does not have a Bible verse at the top. Well, this one is far more personal for me and I titled it as "Patience" because that is exactly what God is developing in me right now. I have a long ways to go, but I have realized some very important things in the last few weeks about patience. I am really going to open up here and just write to you straight from my personal journal. Below is what I wrote in my journal recently about God's dealing with me and my lack of patience. I did not intend to post this journal entry. I was simply encouraged by my wife to write down the things we talked about in dealing with patience. I journal often, so I went to my journal and what you will read is my conversation with God and myself.
12/20/11
God continues to reveal to me that I am lacking a great amount of patience. All of my sin seems to come back to my impatience. I get frustrated because I am impatient. Angry because of my impatience. I am constantly wanting immediate results in behavior from my children. When I don't get those results, I impatiently explode! What is that teaching them? God is not selling our home yet which also tests my patience. But as I see those truths more and more, I realize I have a lot of patience to gain. The thing about patience is that it has to develop. Patience is a process. You can't just realize you need patience and you're good to go. Patience, by virtue of its definition, requires time to develop in us. So even though I realize that God is not selling my home in order to develop patience in me, that is not enough just to REALIZE it. I actually have to endure the time period of waiting with patience. I have to actually endure to gain patience.
As I look into Scripture about patience, it's almost always connected to suffering. James and Peter mention patience in suffering (James 5:7-12; 1 Peter 3:8-20). The charge in Scripture is always to patiently endure your sufferings. Paul makes the connection of endurance and suffering in Romans 5:3, when he wrote, "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character." Not all sufferings take a lot of time, so how can Paul say suffering produces endurance unless he assumes suffering causes the sufferer to be patient. Some people may not agree that not selling my home is a suffering. But for me and my family right now...it is. So we must endure this temporary suffering and develop patience.
But HOW we endure is also key. Paul says in Romans 5:3, "We REJOICE in our sufferings." Paul's conclusion is that our joy in our sufferings makes perfect sense because the character development in suffering is eternal, though the suffering is temporal. What a great joy that we get to earn eternal hope and character through a pain or suffering that will shortly fade away. So finding joy in difficult times is ESSENTIAL for our development in patience. Part of the reason I am letting my impatience hurt me is because I have no joy! My lack of joy in my difficulties causes me to sarcastically say, "Really God?!?!" My lack of joy for God's development in me through trial is only producing in me a lack of confidence in His sovereign plan for my life. But when I am joyful and rejoicing in my trial and suffering, I am producing confidence in God's good work in me. I can trust Him more and know that the result is for my good and His glory (Romans 8:28). Asking for patience is asking for trials.
1 comment:
Philippians 4 :)
Post a Comment