By David Faust
I don’t like waiting. Traffic jams and red lights frustrate me. So do airport flight delays, draggy restaurant service, and call centers that put me on hold. Fast food, 24-7 news, and instant gratification have become the American way.
I read that scientists in Europe have developed so-called “instant pasture” for feeding cows. The grass grows in one week’s time in special greenhouses. I figure the cows will retaliate by giving instant non-fat dry milk.
It’s hard to be patient when confronted with frustrating circumstances, exasperating people, and unnecessary delays.
But it’s wise to tap the brakes and slow down. Patience isn’t our natural inclination, but it’s a Christ-like quality. After all, God “is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, New International Version).
How Long, O Lord?
The fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 includes a Greek word translated “patience” or “forbearance.” Makrothumia, a compound of makros (“long”) and thumos (“anger” or “fury”), describes someone who is slow to anger or longsuffering. Patient people stay calm under stress, take an unhurried approach to problem solving, and stick around for the long haul. They are gracious toward others, and they endure hardship or injustice without losing their composure or giving up.
If you struggle to be patient, you are in good company. Centuries before Christ, a prophet complained, “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (Habakkuk 1:2). In John’s heavenly vision, martyred saints “called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’” (Revelation 6:10).
Suffering tests our resolve. Scripture says, “Be patient . . . until the Lord’s coming” (James 5:7), and that could be a long wait.
Paul suffered much, but he believed “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). In comparison with heaven’s never-ending joys, earthly hardships are “light and momentary.” Likewise, Peter says to rejoice “though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:6). In the big picture, our trials only last “for a little while.” They’re about a minute long compared to the eternal blessings ahead.
Make Us Strong, O Lord!
Are you tempted to hate others? Wait a minute. Aren’t their souls just as valuable as yours?
Are you quick to criticize kids and teens? Wait a minute. How did you feel when you were their age? Do you realize how much anxiety, temptation, and spiritual disinformation they confront every day?
Are you impatient with older people who resist progress and grumble about their health problems? Wait a minute. How will you feel when you are their age? Like the rest of us, they need faith in our unchanging God to survive in a rapidly changing culture. How can you encourage them?
Are you impatient with believers whose opinions and preferences differ from your own, or whose personalities rub you the wrong way? Wait a minute. Do you pray for them as much as you criticize them? Can you learn to put up with others instead of putting them down?
Are you tired and ready to give up? Wait a minute. Put your hope in the Lord, and he will renew your strength (Isaiah 40:31).
God’s Spirit can help us grow the fruit of patience. And to that I say: the sooner, the better!
Next Week: The Fruit of the Spirit is . . . KINDNESS and GOODNESS.
David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.
Author: Christian Standard
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Well said, David, as always.
My problem is knowing when to wait and when to stop waiting and go into action. Too much waiting is called “procrastination.”
I like the kind of patience that James writes about in the 5th chapter of his book. He uses farmers as an illustration, and I live in farm country, so I know how that works. The farmer plants his crop, but he doesn’t go on vacation while it grows. He works year round, mending fences, maintaining equipment, checking on crops, fertilizing, cultivating, spraying. “Active” patience I think is the best kind. It’s possible to wait and to act at the same time. There is almost always something I can do, while I am waiting for results.
Loved your quip about “instant pasture” giving “instant non-fat dry milk.”