Patience vs. Impatience

Have you ever noticed that when you feel like you’ve made it, or you feel like you finally got it together, all hell breaks loose? The Bible teaches many lessons about patience. Patience is described as a Spiritual Gift that can only be developed through trials and tribulations. A few synonyms for Patience are: endurance, staying power, stamina, open-mindedness, charity, serenity, and tolerance… It’s amazing that when we read about Patience and the total package that comes with it, we really don’t see the contemporary Christian Faith. We as Christians spend so much time picking out the faults and imperfections of our Christian Brothers and Sisters and so little time looking for good in everyone and finding God’s Will in each situation.

During times of stretching when were in the wilderness we are often fronted with different circumstances and situations that test our Patience. Remember: Patience can only be developed through trials and tribulations. I have noticed through my Spiritual walk, that it’s during these times that we are quick to take on different offences. Someone once said that the word offence literally means “Bait.” Think about it, the enemy uses offences to Bait us into a trap and lure us away from God and His Will for our lives. Offence is the antonym or the opposite of Patience… You see, when we are baited into an offence we do not have charity, Love, tolerance, or any other gift that is developed through patience.

Over the past month I have been involved in two different situations in my personal life that required patience and the gifts that fall under it. I would love to write a great testimony about how God just moved through me and how great I handled each situation. But, if I said that then I would be lying. I was baited into an offence and said things both times that I walked away wondering why. Saying to myself, “I know better than that!” Does this sound familiar? In both situations, I feel that the other person was at fault and I was right and my stance was Biblically correct, but my attitude was wrong. I have come to discover that, “all of the right in the world, with a bad attitude is just WRONG!”

Well for those of you who thought I was perfect, well you need to wake up, you have never been more wrong. But praise God for Grace! I have said many times that there was only one who was Perfect, Righteous, and Just; and they crucified Him! So my BLOG today is two-fold; first: don’t take the Bait in times of Conflict, don’t let the enemy trap you and lure you in… and secondly: when you stumble and fall (not if but when, no ones perfect) don’t beat yourself up over it or do not allow others to tear you down. Remember we all have imperfections, faults, and shortcomings, we all mess up, and occasionally we all choose to do the wrong thing or go the wrong way, or have a wrong attitude, amen? Let’s learn to give each other a break, and God will develop True Spiritual Patience in us, that we may be a light into the World and Shine before all men!!!