“Patience is a virtue” is a very popular saying that’s been around for generations, but what does it truly mean? In Greek it is said to be of moral excellence or goodness. In reference to being virtuous many religious scholars use it in the context of producing goodness from the Fruits of the Spirit… and being patient is also a part of the Fruits of the Spirit.
Focusing on semantics… if we are Spirit moving in flesh, than the question is how do we cultivate the Fruit of Patience and what is the benefit of such effort?
The book of 2nd book of Peter verse 1 states:
His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
Here in scripture we are provided with insight revealing a promise and reward for such effort:
1. To share in the divine nature of our creator
2. To be delivered from corruption
All this is wonderful, until we are faced with a challenge… how are we to patiently endure through all of the circumstances and daily life situations and who am I to even suggest to YOU what to do because truly I myself am finding my way back “home”?
I find that even if I had the Wisdom it is only through deeds and demonstration by way of how I live and love that I can share such Wisdom; I believe that words tend to fall short of the task. In short what I am trying to say is please do not take me as an authority on any given topic because every day I feel like I fall short of the mark and realize that there is so much more to learn. Having said that, I seek ancient texts to find common themes that to me appear to hold up the test of time. It is in the book of Romans 12:12 that we are provided with more insights on how to approach our CHALLENGES, and through such approach we can demonstrate not only Faith but also Patience: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”.
Dear One, I am learning to approach situations in a detached manner. In that sense I try my very best to stay Present. Being present allows me to step back and acknowledge Spirit observing everything from within and without; meaning being aware of the inner emotions and the surrounding circumstances in the same ‘picture frame so to speak’. When I do that, I can make rational decisions that actually feel ‘right’ and allow me to navigate through the challenge as a student taking an exam. How I come out of the challenge reveals to me what I need to work on in my personal growth.
I encourage you to save or download the image on this post: scripture from Sirach 39:33 so that it may serve to remind you:
All the works of the Lord are good and he will satisfy every need in due time.
“You must not say: This is less good than that, for in its time everything will serve a purpose.” -Sirach 39:34
If you look back at past events in your life you will realize the TRUTH of those words and I encourage you today to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction (maintain an attitude of gratitude and have the courage to do today what needs to be done today), and faithful in prayer (seek within for the answers and trust your inner guidance).
