Patience is not one of my gifts. When God doled out the gifts of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 (NLT), which says “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”, I think He skipped me in the patience department. I remember a running joke in my former Bible Study group was to stop praying for patience because of the trials and growth it would take to get more patience.
Staying in the present when I’m lacking patience is a trial in itself for me. How do we stay present when we are trying to stay patient with God? I’m not sure about you, but my mind plays the “what if” and “if only” game quite a bit. I admit, I struggle with staying present and trusting God in patience.
The worry I feel, not only has to do with patience, but a lack of trust with God. Do I truly believe the One who created the universe has time for me? How could someone listen to the prayers of one person when there are billions in the world, most of whom are in a worse state than me? Instead of having an opportunity to pursue their dreams, they are struggling to put food on the table and a roof over their head.
Nowhere does God say this life will be easy. As a matter of fact, He even guarantees we will have trials. In John 16:33 it says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
However, He does promise us a Holy partnership with Him during the trials that test our patience. God is a God of abundance and hope. While sometimes we pray for just enough, God offers us a full, amazing life with Him.
As I write this, I’m in the midst of a difficult time with my ex-husband and sharing custody of our kids. I have two choices in these circumstances, trust God that He has this in hand and have the patience to wait on Him in His perfect timing or lose sleep, wringing my hands or write out the pros and cons of taking my ex back to court – again.
I wish I could say the first option is my go to choice, my first choice and my last choice, my only choice actually. But if you could see the bags I’m packing under my eyes and the pain I feel in my stomach, you would quickly realize I’m working from option number two. Not really a shining example of keeping present in patience with God.
Here’s the beautiful part. God knows I’m a work in progress and some days I’m more of a mess than others. But rest assured, this girl has some level of mess of a daily basis, it remains to be seen how bad the mess is, but my answer should be to let go and trust God with all my problems.
I believe He will show me what to let go of or show me a way to handle it. As a work in progress, I know God is gentle with me and my lack of patience. He can also be gentle with you, if you allow Him to.
How do you stay present with patience? Share it in the comments below to encourage others.