Word for Today: Patience
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride” Ecclesiastes 7:8
Patience and pride are closely related. Where there is impatience, there you will find pride closely behind. The root of our impatience with people or even with our circumstances stems from the thinking that we know better or we know best. Quite simply put, we can be a bit prideful at times.
For example, when people get on your nerves or are slow in understanding something, why is it so? If you really think about it and are honest, does it not stem from the thinking that if we understand something, it’s so easy why doesn’t everyone else get it too? Or perhaps if you are stuck in traffic and you’re getting frustrated with the drivers around you who apparently don’t know how to drive, do you not think that you are a better driver so that’s why you become irritated? Or perhaps you have been waiting on God for something and it is slow in the coming, does that not ultimately stem from you thinking you know what’s best for you so God should give it to you now? However you identify, God is asking us today to realign and reposition in how highly we think of ourselves.
Impatience comes about because we do not know the full story and we assume it is a certain way based on our realm of experience or understanding and as a result, we draw a conclusion or we react. The scripture above paints a great picture, “the end of a matter is better than its beginning…” because you have the full story and all of the facts.
So how do we combat against this impatience that can rise up in us at times? Stop, take a step back and recognize that we don’t have the entire story or all of the facts and acknowledge that we were once in that place of the person we are about to lose our patience with. The key word is grace. We choose to think the best because we do not know the entire story.
Patience is one of the Fruits of the Spirit, how have you been bearing witness of God’s patience towards you by measuring how patient you have been with people? Wherever you find yourself, halleluiah there is grace! Where there is humility, there is grace. Don’t beat yourself up, acknowledge, repent and move on.
God is a patient God, He’ll give you the grace to love and be patient towards those around you.
Patience and pride are closely related. Where there is impatience, there you will find pride closely behind. The root of our impatience with people or even with our circumstances stems from the thinking that we know better or we know best. Quite simply put, we can be a bit prideful at times.
For example, when people get on your nerves or are slow in understanding something, why is it so? If you really think about it and are honest, does it not stem from the thinking that if we understand something, it’s so easy why doesn’t everyone else get it too? Or perhaps if you are stuck in traffic and you’re getting frustrated with the drivers around you who apparently don’t know how to drive, do you not think that you are a better driver so that’s why you become irritated? Or perhaps you have been waiting on God for something and it is slow in the coming, does that not ultimately stem from you thinking you know what’s best for you so God should give it to you now? However you identify, God is asking us today to realign and reposition in how highly we think of ourselves.
Impatience comes about because we do not know the full story and we assume it is a certain way based on our realm of experience or understanding and as a result, we draw a conclusion or we react. The scripture above paints a great picture, “the end of a matter is better than its beginning…” because you have the full story and all of the facts.
So how do we combat against this impatience that can rise up in us at times? Stop, take a step back and recognize that we don’t have the entire story or all of the facts and acknowledge that we were once in that place of the person we are about to lose our patience with. The key word is grace. We choose to think the best because we do not know the entire story.
Patience is one of the Fruits of the Spirit, how have you been bearing witness of God’s patience towards you by measuring how patient you have been with people? Wherever you find yourself, halleluiah there is grace! Where there is humility, there is grace. Don’t beat yourself up, acknowledge, repent and move on.
God is a patient God, He’ll give you the grace to love and be patient towards those around you.
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