But trying to attain patience, the process of learning and developing patience, is a nightmare. If you pray for patience, God will put you in all sorts of situations where you will have to be patient. For some reason, that seems like a prayer He is always willing to answer with yes. If you ask Him to help you become more patient, be prepared to wait, be frustrated, and cry it out. Patience is a-coming.
That is why patience, in its truest form, is one of the most rare fruit to actually possess. Many people may appear patient, but actually being able to use it to glorify God is an entirely different story.
According to Google, patience means “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.” So how can somebody glorify God just by not getting upset or angry? Isn’t that more like damage control? Not necessarily.
We often think of ourselves as patient because we can mask our emotions. We believe that as long as we keep our frustrations at bay, then we are being patient.
But if the Google definition is accurate, and I believe it is, patience is not just being able to hide being upset. It is having the spiritual constitution to not get upset in the first place.
Patience is one of the most tricky traits on the fruit of the spirit list because there are no obvious fruit. Since the definition of patience revolves around not doing something, it is often difficult for it to even be identified. In fact, the fruit that comes from patience is often credited as being a different kind of fruit.
When we see a fellow believer being patient through a tough situation, we usually admire their faithfulness.
When we notice other Christians being patient with people that are giving them a hard time, we are in awe of their gentleness.
When we see another Christian seeking to bless others even though their blessings have yet to arrive, we are overwhelmed by their kindness.
If we are truly patient with our circumstances, our relationships, and with God, we will be able to see other fruit appear in abundance. It’s like I always say, “Be patient. Be fruitful.” Okay, I don’t always say that. But maybe I should start.