Patience is a Virtue (and a downright pain in the butt)

Perfectionist meet patience…yea, those two things don’t go well together.  Not in the slightest, so it’s pretty much common knowledge that I don’t do well with the waiting game.

Heck, I struggle to wait in line at the grocery store before pulling out my iPhone and begin surfing the web for something to occupy my time or to make the wait a bit more productive.  So when it comes to waiting on God and His favor, it’s a real struggle.  God is usually not as “fast” as the fast food joints around here.

It’s often been said that God uses our struggles to provide opportunities for growth and maturity in faith.  So while I wait for responses to all of the hundreds of applications I’ve submitted in the last week, I should be feeling super faithful, right?

How often have I gone through a difficult circumstance and feel overwhelmed and like I’m drowning in a sea of despair and anguish? Many times!  And I’m struggling with those feelings right now in this season of waiting.

But how many times have I been able to look back over previous circumstances in life and see how God was working through those situations; molding and shaping me for what was to come?  How many times have I been able to use hindsight to testify to the power and the greatness of God?  Many more times than I can count!

So if I know that God is working and He’s got all of this crazy mixed up ball-of-nerves situation under control and that in 6 months time I’m going to look back on this and laugh, why am I freaking out so?

Because I’m broken and wrought with flaw… and I really like control.  And it’s REALLY hard to trust that someone else is going to take care of the details when I’m sitting down here being thrown into an utter frenzy over them all.

The Bible is riddled with verses talking about human struggles:

• {1 Peter 5:10}  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

• {James 1:12}  Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

• {Romans 8:18} For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

But if you read those scriptures (and many more) you will also find that it is riddled with hope for the future.  Just like in Proverbs 3:5-6,

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

So even though patience can be a downright pain in the butt, it’s one of segments of time where lessons are learned subconciously and were growth takes place from within.  It may not be skill that we have excellence in, therefore we must remember that it is a time where hope in the Lord provides the light to guide the way and promise for tomorrow.  

“Wait on the Lord” is a constant refrain in the Psalms, and it is a necessary word, for God often keeps us waiting. He is not in such a hurry as we are, and it is not his way to give more light on the future than we need for action in the present, or to guide us more than one step at a time. When in doubt, do nothing, but continue to wait on God. When action is needed, light will come.”
― J.I. Packer, Knowing God

Do you ever struggle with being patient?How do YOU overcome these struggles?