My boss once told me the reason I was chosen to train new employees was because I had more patience than anyone in the company. Evidently, I haven’t changed much since I retired. When the clocks were to be set back an hour this fall, the minute hand on my grandfather clock would not move backward, so I would have had to spin it forward eleven full turns to set it to the correct time. I didn’t want to put my clock through all of that manipulation and I knew the clock was losing about four minutes a day, so I decided to wait 15 days for actual time to catch up with it. Now, I just move it a few minutes forward again each time it is wound to keep it on time. I was either very patient or very lazy; I’ll let you decide.
In this fast paced, electronic world in which we are living, patience is becoming harder to find. Everyone seems to want instant gratification and instant answers. They don’t even spend a few minutes searching the internet anymore; they just ask their phone and the answer comes back in seconds. I am convinced the new definition of a nanosecond is the time between a traffic light turning green and a horn sounding behind you. Impatience is not new, but it has become increasingly worse over my lifetime.
Patience is mentioned many times in the Bible. We read about the Israelites testing God’s patience in the wilderness after He freed them from Egyptian slavery. (Psalms 95:9, Psalms 106:14 and Hebrews 3:9) We often point fingers at them for all of the things they did to try God’s patience, but I believe we have all been guilty of either trying the patience of God, our parent, teacher or someone else in authority; just to see how far we could go before their patience ran out.
Peter tells us about Jesus’ return, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9) One of the fruit the Holy Spirit produces in Christians is patience. (Galatians 5:22-23) I think that is what my boss saw in me. If we allow the Holy Spirit to produce all nine of those fruit listed in those verses, then our testimony will be loud and clear without us opening our mouths.
To me, the most meaningful mention of patience in scripture is found in Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. Paul describes the importance of love in our lives and then gives us the most beautiful definition of true love. He begins that definition, “Love is patient and kind.” (2 Corinthians 13th chapter) I read that chapter many times during our fifty years of marriage to remind me how to show Carol the deep love I felt for her.
There is enough stress in life, without allowing our impatience to add to it. Let’s be lovingly patient and kind to everyone around us. Not only will we be surprised by some of the positive responses we get, but we also will be developing those wonderful qualities the Holy Spirit plants within us.