Patience

Posted by Ginger

“Be joyful because you have hope.

Be patient when troubles come, and pray at all times.”

Romans 12:12

Some days have rougher edges than others…and so do parts of me.

When I look more deeply at where my rough edges are within my personality, I can feel it in every inch of body...that I lack patience. It is no mystery to any mother of young children that the virtue of patience is getting a huge workout!!! Developing patience takes time.  And as a mother of four young children, I know this all too well.

Many times through out motherhood - on days when I thought patience would never come - I changed my prayer. Instead of praying for patience (because that actually took patience, which I had none of) - and began to pray for a sense of humor.  It helped!

I was on a retreat once where they asked everyone there to identify three areas of impatience in their lives.  I could think of countless triggers that I had and so many moments where I lost my patience. But then it wasn’t until the next question that was asked – that my brain settled down and I began to see myself more honestly. And that question was:

What is the root of your impatience?

I love the approach of asking questions – and taking them to our Lord in prayer.  It seems to be the only way I find the answers…answers that bring peace. Sometimes it is the same question just reapplied to other areas in my life. For example, “Lord, what does this mean?” or “Lord, what do you want me to learn from this?” They are general and open-ended questions, but they take me deeper. 

But when I am under pressure or hurried as I always seem to be rushing – mostly to just keep up with my high energy kids,  I become almost thoughtless and my response to things and situations can become grunt-like…” UGH” or I would sigh out loud,   So it helps to have a list of questions ahead of time, and they become like a tool, ready to grab and use as a weapon against the triggers of impatience. In my case a temper.

You don’t have to look too far to find that perfect example of patience-

Jesus Christ, Himself.  When I am having one of those rough edged days and complaining a lot,  I sometimes find myself saying Yeah, but He’s God. Being patient comes so naturally to Him.  But did it?  Did it come naturally when all his disciples began to bicker over who would be leader?  Did it come naturally when all those who loved him denied Him or fell asleep on Him.  When I contemplate Christ and His patience, when those who loved Him and knew Him best didn’t trust Him or doubted Him.  And I can relate. It usually is the people in our lives that we know and love the most – our family, husbands, children, siblings – that sometimes require the most patience.  They know our triggers and which buttons to push.  Family vacations under one roof ? Witching hour in the kitchen of our own home?  A conversation in the car next the man you married – and love?  Your teenage daughter who is hounding you for a later curfew?  Unsolicited advice from a family member? We can leave out the details and still know that the ones that know us the most – are the ones who try our patience the most.  See them as Grace…building deep within us a virtue so pure and precious in the eyes of God.  To be patient like Christ is heavenly.  Oh I want it so bad!! Yet everyday I seem to struggle.  So I have learned to look at how far I have come.  Not how far I have to go. And then unite it to our Lord…Christ had to wait too. He waits so patiently on us.  Turn to Him and to let go of the things that get in the way of our growth towards a deeper relationship with Him. 

I remember what it was like to be pregnant, I had to slow down just to catch my breath.  We find patience when we slow down and take time to do the things we are called to do.  It’s hard to do when the world we live in is so fast paced and filled with immediacy – but it helps to reflect on how He calls us:

“Be still before the LORD 
  

 and wait patiently for Him”

Psalm 37:7

So for today, I am going to choose patience.

Trying not to do too much in a hurry or all at once.

And I will keep my focus on the Lord,

 for He is patient with me.