If I’m being honest, the fruit of the Spirit that I struggle with the most is patience. Patience is being able to endure trouble, difficulties or suffering without becoming frustrated.
I find myself constantly rushing people and trying to solve things prematurely. I don’t wait on God as I should and instead try to make my own plans rather than yielding to his plans.
My patience with others is often frequently exhausted rather than full of grace.
James 1:19-20 is especially convicting. It says, ““My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
When we are faced with situations where people are trying our patience, we must be quick to hear their problems and have compassion, slow to respond and slow to anger! Quick responses are not exemplary of God’s righteousness working through us.
Along with patience towards others, we are called to forgiveness. Patience leads to a life of forgiving and forgetting like God does for us.
Colossians 3:12-13 says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Not only are we supposed to be patient with others, but we are also called to be patient through trials that occur in our lives.
Jumping ahead a few verses in James 1:2-4, he says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
We can know that the Lord has our future in his hands. With that knowledge we can be patient and endure whatever comes our way.
