Patience breeds self-control. And self-control breeds peace. It all works together for our good.

Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (KJV)

Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things." (ERV)

Galatians 5:22-23, " But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." (The Message) 



Longsuffering

According to the dictionary, 'longsuffering' is described as, "long, and patient endurance of injury, trouble, or provocation (something that instigates, angers, or irritates)."  Longsuffering is patience, in all circumstances. 

St. Augustine once stated, "Patience is the companion of wisdom".... and wisdom was mentioned in the Word of God 222 times (which I like to think is a sign from God that it is pretty important!) 

Proverbs 3:13- "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding."

Proverbs 4:7- "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." 

Proverbs 8:11- "For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."

Proverbs 16:16- "How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!"

And if wisdom is a companion of patience, I like to think:

Happy is the man (or woman!) that findeth patience...
Patience is (one of the) principal things! Therefore get patience...
For patience is far better than rubies...
How much better it is to get patience than gold...

Wisdom and patience go hand in hand. With wisdom, we can understand WHY we need patience and the GOOD it does to our soul.

Why Do We Need Patience?

Some might question the importance of patience. I know I did. How does this benefit or hurt my soul? I could understand love. A lack of love can lead to a bitter person. I could understand peace. A lack of peace can lead to a life of a fear which is not of God. But patience? What could a lack of patience possibly yield?

It didn't seem like I was going to face eternal effects from not finding this Fruit of the Spirit and applying it to my life.

So, I started studying the Word of God. Lord, if You want me to apply this to my life, please show me the worth. Let my journey not be in vain. This was my prayer.

And He opened my eyes to what a world without patience would look like and how damaging it can be to our souls. 

1- God was longsuffering-- and we are called to be like Him.

Exodus 34:6- "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,...."

Numbers 14:18- "The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation."

Romans 2:4- "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

2 Peter 3:9- "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

He is patient with us. He is patient with our circumstances. He is patient with our running from Him. 

Think of it like this- God Almighty is our Father. He watches our decisions, our actions. There are moments when we start messing up, making mistakes, disappointing Him. I've been there, trust me. I know I've broken His heart. Shattered it. BUT, He didn't fly off the handle and punish me. He didn't break me down with terrible words. He was patient with me. He allowed consequences to affect my life for my decisions-- and He was there to pick me back up when I realized the error of my ways. He was patient. How many times do I start screaming at my children immediately when they disappoint or upset me? How many times do I lose my patience within the first 5 seconds of their bad decisions? 

God Almighty is patient. He is patient with us. We need to be patient with our children and loved ones too. We have to remember that people are not perfect-- and neither are we. But God has still called us to be longsuffering, merciful, and loving towards them.

2- The 'elect of God' are called to have 'longsuffering'

Colossians 3:12- "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.."

Ephesians 4:1-2- "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;"

1 Timothy 6:11- "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience,  meekness."

We are called to be patient.

When I think of patience, I think of our souls having peace and rest. Our souls are able to be still, regardless of the circumstances. God desires for that rest and peace to be in our souls. He longs for us to be an example for others. 

3- Those That Lack Patience Are Near-Sighted

2 Peter 1:9- But he that lacketh these things [faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity] is blind [nearsighted], and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (KJV)

Without patience (and all of that other good stuff) we begin to lose sight of what is ahead. We get wrapped up in the moment as opposed to seeing the bigger picture.

Being stuck in traffic- all we can think is 'Great! I'm stuck! I'm going to be late!!!!!!!"

We don't think, "Someone might be injured in that accident up ahead." "Thank You Jesus for possibly protecting me from something that I cannot see."

If you haven't seen 'The Shack', go! It is amazing and WILL change your life. In the movie, God begins talking to Mack about his situation and God says, 'Mack, you're trying to judge your entire situation based off of a small amount of details. It's like trying to see your pain through a knothole.' You can only see so much. That is our lives with Jesus Christ. When we are stuck in traffic, when the grocery store is taking too long, when we are waiting at the doctor-- all of that is working together for the bigger picture. The bigger picture we cannot see.

When we lack patience, we are near-sighted. We cannot see what is ahead. And we lack trust in the God who can.

4- The Lack of Patience Breeds Anger.

When troubles come, human nature is to develop a bad attitude towards them. Our first instinct is to complain, be miserable, pitch a fit, scream... whatever it takes to get that irritation and frustration out.

Think about the last time you lost your patience. How did your spirit feel? Did you feel angry? Bitter? Mad? Judgmental? Did you have a bad day after you lost your patience? 

I know personally, when I lose my patience-- It is hard for me to fix my spirit after that! Once I get grumpy-- once I get miserable- once I get in to a complaining zone.... I'm there. It takes a lot of prayer... a lot of music... a lot of trying to get back to a peaceful spirit.

And that is so unfair to us.

Why do we let one circumstance change our soul? Being angry in the moment doesn't fix anything. It only causes us to lose more than we bargained for.

"A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves you a hundred moments of regret."

"Patience is a form of wisdom. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time." [Jon Kabat-Zinn]

When we practice restraint. When we practice being still, regardless of what is going on around us, we are practicing wisdom and we are learning how to keep our spirit from falling in to darkness. 

Do you remember a time you practice patience in a situation? It might not have felt great at the time- you might not have understood it- you might have thought you deserved a different situation-- but look at your soul after you were patient. You had zero regrets. You had zero 'I wish I would haven't said that' moments. 

Regret has no place in our lives. It is another thief of peace. Patience can help that!

5- Tribulations Bring Patience. Be Thankful for Them.

Romans 5:3-5: "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

James 1:2-4: "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

James 5:11: "Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."

Trials, hard times-- all of them breed patience.... IF WE LET THEM.

Sure, we can get mad. We can get angry. We can get bitter. BUT- how does anger or bitterness change this situation?

They don't.

Of course, happiness and gratefulness do not change them either, BUT-- your soul feels a lot better when you choose them over anger! 

If we have to go through hard times, we have to go through them. God didn't promise us an easy journey. He just promised to be with us during the hard times. But why be miserable the entire journey? Why let it destroy our hearts and souls? Why make the situation even more difficult for us?

We need to realize that hard times come and go- but learning patience can give us eternal rewards. Patience can make the hard times easier because we aren't sulking, we aren't wallowing in our own self-pity. 

Patience breeds self-control. And self-control breeds peace.

It all works together for our good.

6- Patience Will Save Your Lives

Luke 21:19 says, "By standing firm [being patient] you will save your lives." (CJB)

By being patient, you will ENJOY your life. You won't be so caught up in that miserable, complaining spirit that you will be able to enjoy the moment. By being patient, you can ADD life. Your blood pressure won't be skyrocketing. You won't have to take deep breaths. You won't be stressed out. By being patient, you will BRING peace into your life! You will be able to rest in whatever situation you find yourself because you trust God (not your circumstances) to get you through.

Patience is not just something we can have or not have. It is something we NEED. It is healthy for our souls, healthy for our lives, and healthy for those around us. 

God, please help us have patience with our children, with our spouses, with our family members, and with our friends. Help us to understand that no one is perfect, even us. Help us to recognize how patient You are with us and help us to understand we need to exercise that patience with those around us. Please help us to be patient in uncomfortable and difficult circumstances. When we have to wait in traffic, when the line is long at the check out, when we are waiting for someone. Help us to realize how much damage we do to our souls when we complain. Anger kills our spirits. Wash us clean from it, Jesus. Help us to rest in You, regardless of the situation. Thank You for everything You do for us! In Your name, Amen.