A Dying Practice

Patience is a beautiful thing. According to scripture, it's where love thrives. It grows our faith. It pushes us to trust in the Lord, not only with His plan, but even more so His timing. I think two of the hardest places to be are 1. Knowing the Lord's plan but having to wait on His timing. And 2. Not knowing the Lord's plan and waiting for that to be revealed. I've truly been in a season that's been growing my patience. I feel like everywhere and everything is a lesson in patience in lately. And it can be tryingggg at times. I remember asking the Lord to grow me in patience, yes I knew what I was asking for, no it isn't a fun one to grow in. But it is worth it. What I've found as I've grown (and still am growing) in patience are a few things: patience requires surrender of control, the labor of growing patience is always worth it, and patience will be a life long journey of learning.

First, patience requires surrender of control. I like to plan things. It makes life feel less overwhelming. But patience requires the sacrifice of control. It requires us to slow down when we want to rush. It requires us to see life in the present, rather than jumping so far into the future. Patience and surrendering control go hand in hand and it's those two things that keep us grounded. Over the past year or so, I've really realized how much I want to know things. I always want to know the "why" behind this or that. I want to have a plan. A process. I want to set things in place weeks ahead of time. But very many people have helped me realize, sometimes the greatest act of love I can have is to surrender control of a moment. Have patience. To let the plans solidify as it gets closer. To not live so future minded because often times... plans change anyways. If you want to live a life marked by patience, you need to surrender control. And gosh, I don't want to be someone who waits begrudgingly. I want to be known for my joy in the waiting. Because there truly is SO much beauty in the waiting. We could not be who we are without waiting. And in a world that robs us of that process, in return, we lack love, sacrifice, understanding, faith, strength, grit, maturity, gentleness, joy. Without the waiting process, we lack Christ. Literally. Without the 3 day waiting period after his crucifixion, there would be resurrection. When we don't live a life of patience, all the other fruit of the Spirit fail. We don't imitate Christ well without patience. God, all throughout the Bible, has shown patience with His people. And all throughout my life, He has shown patience with me.

Secondly, it is NOT easy, but the labor of growing patience is always worth it. When we grow in a fruit of the Spirit, it doesn't return void. It affects the quality and quantity of our fruit. The Lord promises results when we sit in and grow through patience.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

James 1:2-4

Perfect and complete. Lacking in nothing. Can you breathe a little? Whatever you're believing for, whatever you're waiting on... perfect and complete. Lacking in nothing. Hope. We will always have Hope. He is good. And He promises good and perfect gifts. Nothing less. Patience is not just given though, it's grown. And while the process of it is difficult, it's always worth it. I have never sat through a season of refining my patience and come out regretting it. Sure, I've come out of those seasons saying it was tough, but never regretful. Always grateful. Because I can see it's those very moments that have made me who I am today. It's those moments that have shaped the way I love. The way I approach trials. The way I sit through trials with others. So yes, the growing of patience can be brutal. But the reward is worth it. I've always been thankful (of course usually in hindsight) for the waiting seasons. Because if I got everything when I wanted it, boy would that be a disaster. His timing has always been and always will be the absolute best. Especially when it contradicts my desires of rushing and "just getting there." That's when He does His best work, when I'm pushed the hardest and made the most uncomfortable. Prime growing seasons.

"but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

Lastly, patience will be a lifelong journey. Patience will never be something we outgrow. We will never reach the ceiling of patience, there will always be another level. It will be a lifelong journey of failing, refining, and learning. In a world full of different people, they teach us patience in many different ways. And as we walk through life, especially with instant gratification being such a theme in today's society, patience will always be something we can get better at. Isn't it interesting that the world is literally training us to be impatient? The opposite of what the Lord calls us to be. We are being trained day in and day out to get what we want, when we want it. To get to watch what we want, whenever we want to. It's scary to think we live in a world where patience is becoming foreign. We are being robbed of the beauty that patience produces. God designed us, He trains us to wait. And wait well. To wait with expectancy, not of the outcome, but of His faithfulness. Because time and time again, He is faithful. Yes, even in the waiting. How kind of Him to teach us to wait, which in turn grows our patience, and even more so, our love and faith. To be trained to wait better. A phrase that a lot of people would turn from. It'll be a process, but the results are worth it. To love better. To live better. To have increased faith and reliance on Christ. To draw nearer to Him. To have more of Him and less of me. To give up control. To rest. And the list goes on. Patience is sweet. It's a fight to grow in it. But the pain of the process reaps benefits into eternity.

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

Psalm 27:14