Patience...

Patience ONLY grows under trial...Really?!?!? I just hate that concept. Patience is difficult to develop into our lives. We live in a microwave society, where we want everything in 30 seconds or less. But, patience is one of those things that develops slowly like smoking a turkey. The longer it “cooks” the better it is. It’s a learned trait, learned by waiting. Ugh. Galatians 5:22-23 AMP tells us 22 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness, 23 gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence).

The more His spirit is allowed to “cook” in me the more this fruit is developed. It needs time to marinate in my spirit, to blend all of the amazing flavors of His characteristics’ into my heart till they come out when I need them to; like when I get cut off in traffic, or someone tells me off. Yea lets face it, what would normally come out of me hasn’t marinated nearly long enough!!!

If we are to have the fruit of the Spirit called patience then we have to be given something to be patient about to marinate that in us. Of course it’s usually with the help of people you’d rather not have to learn from!! It is not automatic once you are a Christian. Wouldn’t it be amazing to get saved and poof!!!! We are these patient, kind, and loving specimens of humanity! Ummm…NO. Do you know another Christian?? It just doesn’t work like that.

I became discouraged once, okay so it wasn’t once. But I was getting tired of waiting for the thing I was believing God for, something I felt He had said He would do. I had been praying and trusting Him but in the natural I could not SEE results. I could SEE  the situation getting worse or at best not budging. I just lost it...I got so discouraged and wanted to quit! Why? Why do we make it just so far and then give up; because we take our eyes off of the promise and begin to look at the circumstances. We SEE it has not changed and think well this isn't working.

So…what do we do at that point? It doesn’t help to feel sorry for ourselves, or blame God for not being in a hurry. I’ve found that God is always on time, He just misses a lot of opportunities to be early!!  We don’t need to beat ourselves up either for feeling that way. Ummm we are human after all!

We just need to pick ourselves back up, realize God’s promises are always true, He will always come through, and just keep marinating. I mean what else is there? We don’t have unlimited choices here. We either wait for God or we don’t.

I remember the scriptures where Jesus taught about communion in John 6:53-69. He states that people must eat His flesh and drink His blood and everyone freaks out and leaves, except His disciples. He turned to them and said, “will you leave also?” Peter states in verse 69; “where else would we go Lord, for you alone have the words of eternal life.” I don’t have anywhere else to go. I’m not going back to the world for answers; the world has nothing for me.

What would you tell a person who was afraid of heights and you had to get them to climb up a ladder to safety? Don't LOOK down, keep your eyes on me!!! Well that is what we have to do to be patient on God's promises. If we take our eyes off of the Lord and LOOK to the circumstances we lose our faith and belief that God is working. God works in the unseen Spirit realm where we cannot see, but just because we cannot see what He is doing doesn't mean He is not doing something.

We usually give up right before the answer comes. It always gets darkest before the dawn. Satan starts working hard right before God is about to move to get you to give up, so be smarter than him and keep believing God, trusting Him to accomplish in you and in your life what ONLY He can. DON’T GIVE UP…..EVER!!!

Patience is doing what is right, longer than your problems can hold out!