Fruit of the Spirit: Patience

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"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19)

          “Patience is a virtue.” This is not an actual verse in the Bible, but the Bible does speak about the importance of patience in a Christian’s life. The word “patience” comes from the Greek word, hupomone, which, according to Thayer’s Greek Dictionary means “steadfast, constancy, and endurance.
           Patience, or, “longsuffering” is one of the descriptions of the Fruit of the Spirit; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith” (Galatians 5:22). As Christians, we are not to act in such a way that can cause us to be tempted to sin, or cause others to sin as well. Here are some ways that we can become more patient

1. Be longsuffering during . trials and mistreatment. Part of being a faithful Christian is dealing with persecution and mistreatment. Being patient or “longsuffering” means that you are able to deal with persecution and mistreatment from others for long periods of time without becoming spiritually weak and bitter. “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering…” (Ephesians 4:1-2). We must trust that God will take care of those who have wronged us, without us having to seek revenge ourselves. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19).
2. Control your temper!:  Just as James 1:19 says, we are to be “slow to wrath.”  When situations arise that causes us to be tempted to lash out in anger, we have to work to be longsuffering and patient during these times so that we do not commit sin. Standing up to adversity with a patient attitude will help us become better Christians. “My brethren, bcount it all joy cwhen you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces 1patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be 2perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4).
3. Be patient with God’s Timing: God knows everything about us! He knows our past, present and future, long before He ever placed us in our mother’s womb. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). God knows what lays ahead in our lives, and He knows what is best for us in the long run. So, when we go to God in prayer, asking Him to make something that we want to happen in our lives, happen, we must be patient and wait for Him to do what He sees fit.  God will always take care of us, if we are faithful and obedient to Him, Therefore, even if we are not seeing the outcome that we want right away in our lives, we must trust that God has our best interest in mind, and that He will make sure that we get what’s best for us. “5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Psalm 3:5-6).

          I believe that most people could practice more patience in their lives. In a world where instant gratification is expected, it takes a truly dedicated and spiritually strong Christian to exemplify the patience that God  wants us to have. We must remember that God’s Thoughts are much greater than ours, and that He will make sure that any situation that we face in our lives will have a good outcome if we are faithful to Him. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
 

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