The Fruits of the Spirit Devotional: Cultivating Patience 🍎
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace..." I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 12-13 NIV
It's easy to become impatient in a culture that glorifies instant gratification (dopamine hits) and quick fixes. We want what we want, and we don't want to wait. Therefore, patience is counter-cultural, and cultivating the fruit of patience is a part of what it means as Christians to live in the world but not of it.
If you haven't already picked up the book Fruit by Alabaster Bible Co, we highly suggest you do. In it, they state this about patience, "If impatience occurs when plans and expectations are frustrated, then God is rarely impatient because God is rarely rushed. God operates in the order of eons, centuries, and generations."
If you have been in a multi-year season of waiting, you have probably found that the longer we wait, the harder it is for us to find contentment in the waiting. We can easily be found trying to rush God and Their plan by moving forward with our own plans and timelines, trying to control outcomes. Know this: God will continue to be patient with our lack of patient endurance. Lovingly and without anger, YHWH draws us back to repentance and dependence on Their provision and timeline.
This begs the question, what does it look like to cultivate patience in our fast-paced world?
The Seed of Impatience
Patience doesn't grow overnight. Instead, it starts as a tiny seed within our hearts. Impatience is the weed that threatens to choke the life out of this precious seed. We've all experienced it – the irritation when traffic doesn't move as quickly as we'd like or the frustration when our plans don't come to fruition immediately. Impatience can take root in our hearts and strangle the potential for patience to grow.
Patience isn't about passive waiting but active endurance. Just like a seed patiently waits underground, we must cultivate patience through perseverance.
The Water of Faith
To cultivate patience, we must water it with faith. Our faith in God reminds us that there's a greater plan at work, even when we can't see it. It's easy to be impatient when we focus solely on our circumstances. Still, the Holy Spirit helps us look with spiritual eyes beyond the immediate and trust that God is working all things together for our good. When we allow God to be in control and trust His timing, patience blooms in our lives.
Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that there is a season for everything, and God wastes nothing, especially time because God makes everything beautiful in its time. The book Fruit puts this so well: "...time offers us a series of invitations: to bask under God's brilliance to find satisfaction in the good fruits of our labors, and to be slow, mindful, and present... Patience in these postures allow God to beautify us in time."
The Harvest of Patience
As we nurture patience in the gardens of our hearts, we begin to see the transformation it brings. We become more tolerant of others' shortcomings, more understanding of life's setbacks, and more at peace with ourselves. Patience enables us to navigate life's challenges with grace and resilience.
It is helpful to remember that the fruits of the Spirit are the result of the Spirit's presence in our lives, evidence of God's work within us. Patience is not something we can manufacture on our own; it's a divine fruit that grows when we align our hearts with God's.
Like tending to a garden, we must weed out impatience, water our hearts with faith, and trust in God's timing. When we do, we can experience the beautiful harvest of patience – a life marked by grace, resilience, and a deep trust in God's plan.
Remember that things take time. How is God inviting you to wait upon Them in your current season?
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