Do you consider patience a virtue from God? Some people say, “I am naturally a patient person.” Others say, “I have had to learn to be patient over the years.” How is this for you?

Is patience a virtue that can be developed based on time? Or does it come based on our experiences, or is it an innate personality trait?

Whichever way you define it, nobody can claim that they have not had more than one situation in their lives where they had to be patient. For some, it has been a promotion at their job, or others are waiting for a future business partner. 

God demonstrated patience throughout scripture, and He still does now. We deserve punishment for our daily mistakes, but he is patient not to punish us. What a patient God! Romans 2:4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

Examples of patience

We see in Gen 29:20 as Jacob’s patience made him serve seven years to get Rachel. Those years seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

A typical example is when farmers plant their seeds, they automatically expect the harvest. They don’t go back to the ground daily to dig and see if the seed is growing. They water it frequently and anticipate that God will make the seeds grow.

All trees require years to grow. Once a mango seed is planted, it sprouts in a week or two. But, it takes an additional year to reach 3 to 4 feet tall. Farmers will transplant the trees out to a growing field at this stage.  After this process, it takes mango trees 2-4years to start bearing fruits.

Those years will sound long for a generation that desires instant results. People hunger to satisfy themselves these days as fast as possible. Fast food is preferred over cooked nutritious food. Microwaved food and instant hot water meals are choices over home-cooked meals, just to name a few. 

According to Bible teacher Joyce Meyer “Patience is not just waiting, but how you behave while you are waiting.” 

What is God’s patience?

Patience is a fruit of the spirit that grows only under trial. This is a virtue that grows with time and requires self-discipline. It applies to every aspect of our lives. Rom 12:12,” Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised.” Heb 10:36. Everybody needs to learn how to be patient or endurant. This is because life has stages; we must scale through each level with caution and diligence.

No matter what you do, if you do it with patience, your reward is obvious. This is the promise in Gal 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

How can you be patient?

We can choose to be patient by abiding by the word of God. Below are some points to identify and evaluate yourself to know if you are a patient.

• When you are utterly patient, it will be easy to forgive people who hurt you, and it will prevent you from bearing grudges and hate. As Paul puts it in  Eph 4:2, “ Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,  bearing with one another in love.” Having a patient heart makes you more tolerant and shows how deeply you love others. 

God is patient

• God’s patience is displayed in several verses throughout the Bible. In it, Prophet Nahum said in Nahum 1:3, “The LORD is slow to anger but great in power;…” Patience is a fruit of love. It is not hypocritical to say, the more loving you are with people, the easier it will be to become patient with them. True love births patience, as seen in 1Corin 13:4, “Love is patient, love is kind…”.

• God’s love is what restrains him from punishing us. Nehemiah 9:17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and, in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them.

• When we fully grow the virtue of patience, resolving our inevitable conflicts with people becomes straightforward. Prov 15:18 explains the consequences impatience can have on a disagreement as opposed to being patient.  “A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.”

• Patience is also evident in how hopeful we are. The aspiration you have while waiting for God to do something in your life is patience. Based on Roms 8: 24-25, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Where can we get patience?

That intense expectancy in our hearts that God will do what His word says He will do demonstrates our patient character and how we trust Him. (Ps 5:3).

It is God’s nature to be patient, as we see in Ps 103:8. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love”. Every time you treat someone with patience, you display one of the attributes of God. 

Every Christian has God’s kind of patience in their spirit. However, we have to desire and develop it deliberately. And, by extension, show us just as God has shown us.

Patience is not a feeling but a virtue.

Why should we be patient?

We all need Christ-like patience. It always makes us merciful to people, especially those who have hurt us.

“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” 1 Tim 1:16.

In everything we do, we have to be patient. Sometimes, God responds to patience in prayer. “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.” Ps 40:1.

In conclusion, I encourage you to build a life full of perseverance and endurance.

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