Patience didn’t grow on trees yesterday…and it still doesn’t grow on trees today. Unless we change our expectations and live with humility, we will continue to be disappointed and grow more into impatient people.
Yesterday, we set the foundation for patience by discussing:
- Patience with others
- Patience with God
- Patience with ourselves
Today, we are going to take a look at one truth about patience.
Truth Number One: Impatience is a direct result of unmet expectations.
Impatience is a direct result of unmet expectations. The more you think about this, the more true you realize it is. Let’s think about it in each of the areas.
First, patience with others. Let’s say you’re at a restaurant and you’re sitting down with your friends or your family and it is taking quite a while for your food to get there and you’re getting impatient. You had the expectation that your food would get to you in what you consider to be a reasonable amount of time, so when that expectation of yours wasn’t met, you got impatient with the waiter/waitress, and that maybe rubbed off on the people around you.
Or, let’s dive a little deeper. Let’s be honest, when we enter into relationships we all have expectations. Whether it’s expectations of your parents, your friends or your significant other, you have these predisposed notions of what that person will be like and how they will meet your needs. In the moments when that person doesn’t meet your expectations, you get impatient with them.
Let’s look at this in the context of relationship with God. Have you ever prayed for something important, and the only thing you could do was wait. Wait for an answer, wait for God to move in that situation. Whatever the case may be, you had to be patient with God. Impatience in those situations was a result of unmet expectations. You had the expectation that God would answer your prayer in a timeline that aligned with your expectations.
Or again, let’s dive deeper. Maybe you had the expectation that God would provide a spouse, or a job, or fill in the blank in your life, and He hasn’t. You had an expectation that wasn’t met, and the result was impatience.
Let’s finally look at patience with ourselves. We have countless expectations for ourselves: we have goals and aspirations, we have things we’re responsible for in various roles in our lives, we have ideas of how our lives will turn out, and the list goes on. This could be something as simple as getting frustrated when you can’t do something right, or deeper things. So when we don’t meet those expectations we set for ourselves, when we don’t get that promotion we wanted, or when we aren’t married by the time we’re 25, or us and our spouse couldn’t get pregnant like we always dreamed, we get impatient.
So, how do we combat this? How do we adjust our expectations so that we are less likely to be impatient with ourselves, others, and God?
Genesis & Ephesians: Patience with ourselves and others through proper expectation.
We see in these two verses that as God’s creation, we are made in the image of God, and also made with a good purpose. When we read Scripture, we love to find these gems because they remind us of who we are and Whose we are. These verses assure us of our purpose, our identity in Christ, and our worth. So next time you are getting impatient with yourself, remind yourself of these truths. No matter what the situation is, nothing will ever change your worth in Christ.
However, just as much as we like to believe these things about ourselves, these things are also true of every single person God has created. So that person who cut you off in traffic? Or the person at work or in your class that irritates you? Or your family member that has hurt you? They are God’s precious creation, made in His image, with and for a purpose. In these moments where we feel impatience building up inside of us, we tend to view the person we are getting impatient with through the lens of our own expectation, insecurity, and annoyance. We fail to see them for who they truly are: a child of God, made in the image of God, for a specific purpose given by God. If we can remind ourselves of these truths in those moments where we are losing our patience with someone, I truly think this will help us become more patient.
Philippians and the Psalms: Patience with God through proper expectation.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Philippians reminds us that our God is big enough to handle our requests and our anxieties. He can not only handle them, but He welcomes you to present these things to Him. So if you need to cry or scream or whatever you need to do, He is present and He can handle it. And after you’ve come to God, we are told that God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds. What a beautiful thing! Next time you are impatient about something, try giving it to God and see what He has to offer you.
Psalms also gives us hope as we are struggling with patience and waiting on the Lord. David, the author of this Psalm, tells us that he is confident that he will see the goodness of the Lord, so he will be strong and take heart and wait on the Lord. If we truly believe that our God is good, and He is actively working for our good, then waiting on Him can become a bit easier. However, that doesn’t mean the intense feelings that come with waiting will cease. As Philippians encourages us, in those times, God is even big enough to take our impatience with Him and still offer us peace.
And now for the second truth…
Tomorrow that is.
Until then…
Keep practicing patience!
Thank you for allowing us to serve and encourage you today. If “Patience Still Doesn’t Grow on Trees” was encouraging or insightful for you in any way, please let us know and consider sharing it with someone else.
Author:
Hello, friends! My name is Haleigh! I am studying Pastoral Ministry at Bethel University. One of the most prominent passions in my life is women’s ministry. I have such a heart for women and helping them see how God created us for such an intentional purpose. Read more of my writing here.
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