“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed…”
2 Peter 3:9-11

Think of the unlimited, never-ending, perfect patience that God has toward humanity. It has been thousands of years since Adam and Eve sinned, yet our Creator is still waiting; for each one of us to have the opportunity to make the greatest decision of our life – to accept his free gift of eternal life! And to think that it is not for his benefit, but purely for our own! If the Living God can be that patient with all of humanity, then the least we can do is be more patient with those that require a little more of it from us.

Your children. Your spouse. Your co-workers. Your children. Your spouse….. well, they are worth repeating!! They are as worthy of our patience as we are of theirs.

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Ephesians 4:2

Ask yourself:
1. Do people sometimes need to be patient with me? (YES)
2. Am I tolerant of irritating people? If not, why not?
3. Am I any better or less irritating than others? (The correct answer is NO 🙂
4. Do I show self-control when someone bothers me?
5. Does Jesus see my actions toward those that irritate or bother me and does He pleased with my actions or attitude?
6. Did I bite my tongue the last time he/she was rude or wrong with me?
7. Are you loving your “neighbor” as yourself, as Jesus loves you?

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”
Psalm 103:8

Being patient with others, especially the ones you live with and love the most, is likely the #1 difficult thing to do. I know this from experience. We know how to rub each other the wrong way, how to push their buttons, and how to dig in when we feel wronged. But does this make it the right thing to do? No…..is it harder to be patient and kind? Absolutely! That is why it is so important. Those things that require more of us are those same things that make us better and stronger.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.”
1 Corinthians 13:4

Lastly, are you patient with the Lord? Not knowing his plan or timing makes this more difficult, but as long as we remember that God IS in control and has the perfect plan which includes us, then being patient with God should be an easy thing. The truth is, it’s not so easy, because we are creatures that deal with TIME, and we like it spent our own way, not someone else’s way. We are accustomed to controlling our own time, and not allowing someone else to control it.

Oooh, so its a control issue! Yes, I believe it is. Allowing the Lord to control your life and the timing of all things in it is an act of faith and perseverance.

“Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
I am coming soon.”
Revelation 3:10-11a

Food for thought: Pray about this thing of patience today. Ask the Lord to help you overcome your urge to fight back, to speak angrily, to roll your eyes, to honk your horn, to say “Hurry up”, etc.

Fun facts: 1. When we are impatient, we speak too soon, we make hurumph noises, our body language speaks volumes, we stress out, our body temperature rises, our blood pressure increases and our heart races.
Sounds like a heart attack to me!
2. Starfish are not actually fish. They do not have a brain or blood. They can regenerate a lost arm in about one year. Their organs are in their arms, they have two stomachs, and an eye at the end of each arm. Starfish travel with tubed feet on the their oral underside. They are slow, traveling an average of one foot per minute, depending on terrain and type. That requires great patience!

Photo by: Kari Wiseman – Purple Starfish

Do you have a testimony to share?
Please email me at: Kari@SnapInspire.com