I Don't Have Patience Enough to be Patient!

2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

It has taken me days to be able to pull together proper thoughts on this attribute of God. Patience. Ugh! If there was a time in history where we experience people with none, it is now friend. It is now! Who has patience? Are you able to picture someone in your family, your church, your work place, or at school who exemplifies this attribute of God? I honestly believe that my Preacher, Dr. Andy Bloom is one of the most patient men I know.  He would disagree and maybe his precious wife would too. He puts up with the likes of us....ALL of us from every walk of life. There aren’t many people who possess this attribute and when you read the kind of patience II Peter describes good luck if you know someone close to you. I know, I know, we all are patient at times, but  I'm talking about this Patience of II Peter 1.

Children are allowed to pitch fits, stomp out of restaurants, demanding that their parents give them their way. Teachers talk about the impatience of their students and yet they, themselves, are impatient with their own children and families.  Preachers preach on it especially the patience of Job, but no one including “WA” wants to go through what poor ole’ Job went through to acquire this thing called Patience. So, how in the world do we ever obtain it? We don’t folks! It comes through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue. I call it getting into the very soul of God Himself.

1Th 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

Are we patient toward all men? Do we really practice this command?

2Th 1:4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

It takes endurance and time to apply this kind of patience. 

Why is it that Grandmas are more patient than Moms? Why does God teach us to seek the wisdom of the elderly? Why does a Pastor show more patience than his congregation? Trials, tribulations, life, being poor, sick unto death, beaten, heartbroken,  talked about, spit on, made fun of with bumps so hard and high you don’t know if you are going up or coming down……….the process of Patience is unbearable without knowing that God is in control of your life regardless of what happens day in and day out. Job practiced it before the day of the championship game folks. I wonder how long it is taking for some of us to get it.

Over 20 years ago our Sunday School class, The Challengers, began a ministry to one of the local nursing homes. Each month we have the opportunity to share a pot luck dinner, devour it and then go to a place where the elderly are almost forgotten. I have to admit that it is not my cup of tea. For most, it is the last stop before death's final call but for us, it offers an opportunity to share the gospel with those with enough understanding to receive Christ as their personal Savior. For the others, we sing and sing some more! Patience.

The week old food stains, sweaters with chunks of nostril substances, unmatched socks or no socks, greasy stinking hair and nasty fingernails all await us as we push these unkempt people down the hall to a room where we try to give them 45 minutes of SOMETHING worth living for! Patience. We sit, we sing, we turn pages for them sometimes allowing them to use their one hand that is not paralyzed by a stroke to turn the page of an over sized song book, watching them pull a smile with a twinkle in their eye as if to say, “I did it! I did it!” Patience. Then, they touch your hand and you shiver, but pat their arm trying to get them to hold their smile long enough to remember that they can still remember, SOMETHING worth living for. I sing louder so they can hear the familiar tune pulling it from years back or maybe it was just yesterday. They can’t figure it out! Patience. I work at it, at least once a month with a people who don’t know me and could care less.

Job was the Dad and took his role seriously as a father. He was perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil.  This means he was a good man and avoided all evil, probably avoided the appearance of evil as well. Satan couldn’t touch him without God’s permission and neither can he, YOU! God gave Satan a little rope in Job’s life to test him, putting him under some pretty heavy stuff. God may be doing the same in your life. It's tough but you are wanting to be patient and not lose hope! Job made it and patience was not only born but grew in Job’s life. God watches and knows what will happen next, because God knows everything. He watches you and is your biggest cheerleader. He so desires for you to make it across the finish line of Patience. Job was becoming stronger for the next test and he didn’t even know it. Job’s wife could have had the same growth, but she reacted to life’s trials like most of us have at some point in our lives and became a bitter old woman. Maybe I would have too. How are YOU doing?

Next, Satan is allowed to touch his body and the world scatters from Job. He stinks, he is nasty and repulsive to look at much like these Alzheimer patients in the nursing home but God is there. God!  Job didn’t allow Satan to win, folks. He could have BUT GOD knew Job had it in him to endure to the final straw at a time when there was nothing else to happen but death! Oh how happy Job must have been once he endured the heavy, monster of a trial and as a result was blessed at the end more than he was at the beginning! I can see Job looking back, thinking, thanking God out loud for giving Him the strength to endure such pain and agony. Thank God for Job's example.

I want to be blessed more at the end of my life than at the beginning. How about you? Crawl inside of God’s soul and get a firm grasp on this thing called Patience and know HE KNOWS how much you can handle. He knows!  He knows! In the end YOU win. God has already won the battle anyway whether you choose to allow Him the opportunity to know Him, REALLY KNOW HIM!

Patience can begin to grow in you, today.

Until next time, Lord willing!

Sharon