My family and I were invited to a company's family day as guests because one of the directors was a good friend of ours. It was a great occasion with lots of fun games and activities. The only catch was that the lines to the activities were quite long. Just getting our daughter into the inflatable playground was a fifteen-minute wait.
I couldn't help but notice how many parents desperately tried to cut the line. Some failed while some succeeded. I admit that it seemed like a good idea to me at one point, but I remembered I was just a guest so fifteen minutes just had to pass.
Facing a challenge of waiting is rarely a desirable thing, but building patience has always been God's way. We are told that God's Spirit births a fruit of patience in us (Galatians 5:22-23). How we wish God would just build a fruit of instant gratification, but He doesn't. He'd rather have us wait because it's in waiting that we grow in character and in dependency towards Him.
If you want to grow in patience today (and I hope you do), here are three keys to building more patience.
Know that the harder the battle, the bigger the prize
One of the most valuable lessons a friend once taught me was how difficult it is to dig for diamonds, yet it's the difficulty that makes them more valuable. It's the same in many areas in our life. The longer the wait, many times the greater the prize. We should be more like Paul who said with strong perseverance in Philippians 3:14, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Trust that God makes all things work in HIS time
In a day and age where "instant" is most preferred, people who try to get what they want too soon will often find themselves wishing they had waited just a bit longer because it would have brought so much more. But God in His infinite wisdom and discernment will often have us wait for His best rather than rush into half-bakes. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
Look to God's gratification before yours
Our number one priority as Christians is God's gratification, not ours. The truth is that it is when God is most pleased that we are most gratified. As Matthew 6:33 tells us, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Seeking God's pleasure and glory will always benefit us more than seeking our own pleasure and glory.
