BY STEVE DUNN
“Patience is a virtue.” I am not sure who first shared this little tidbit of counsel with me, but I have heard it repeated over and over. And over and over I have said to myself. “Patience is a virtue.”
Sadly, I must confess that I am not a particularly patient person. My life is so busy, filled with so many responsibilities, with schedules and check-lists a necessity that if something interrupts the flow, I want to push the “arghh” button.
Fortunately for the world but unfortunately for my wife, I tend to mask my impatience from most everyone but Dianne. She gently tries to remind me of the need to keep my perspective on the imperfection of people and life in general in a fallen world. And to maintain a sense of patience as a deal with these things (or at least a quiet expression of impatience.)
Impatience with things – like slow computers and bottom caps that see affixed with super glue – is generally a losing battle. They express no free will. They are incapable of improving their “behaviors.”
Impatience with people, however, is worse. Our reactions quickly mount into frustration and frustration is simply low level anger. And anger with people often devolves into forgetting to love them. Anger that thwarts the command to love them is not godly anger.
Impatience with people can also shut us off to any message God is trying to communicate to us. I find this quote from Joni Eareckson Tada on point here: “The times we find ourselves having to wait on others may be the perfect opportunities to train ourselves to wait on the Lord.”
Impatience with people also causes us to undervalue the patience God has extended towards us in circumstances far worse than passing inconvenience. That’s why Paul offered this prayer.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. – Romans 15:5
Patience is a virtue. Be patient with that.
© 2019 by Stephen L. Dunn. You have permission to reprint this provided it is unchanged, proper authorship is cited, it is in a publication not for sale, and a link is provided to this site or to www.drstevedunn.com. For all other uses, contact Steve at sdunnpastor@gmail.com
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