(By Colin Thompson)
Patience is the greatest of all virtues
– Cato the Elder
We live in an instant society. You hear a song you like on the radio? Download it for $0.99 on iTunes. It’s even easier if you have a phone you can just get it directly to wherever you are. Hungry but don’t want to cook. I’ll take a number 3 (ketchup only please!), to go. Need to mail something to a relative who’s birthday you forgot? No probs! Next day delivery is available most anywhere in the world. I could list things like this all day thanks to the internet.
So where does patience fit in to our lives? After all, we have these phrases from our history like “Patience is a virtue” (ca. BC 200) and “Good things come to those who wait” (ca. AD 1500). How do these fit with the lives we live today and what does the Bible teach us about patience? Is patience just another word for apathetic waiting?
Patience is given a place among the fruits of the spirit which we are to have and show to others (1 Thess. 5:14). When I think of patience, I see someone sitting in a room waiting. I think the word “waiting” sums up what we commonly think of when we hear the word patience. This does not always go along with the actual definition of patience. Dictionary.com defines patience as quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care or diligence.
Margaret Thatcher said “I am extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end.” It’s easy to be patient when things are going our way. Our view of our way does not always follow God’s way though. It is in these times that our true capacity for patience is revealed. We steadily persevere while seeking the right way to go (Hebrews 12:1). We diligently pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Patience is not always a passive event. Perseverance and diligence are not passive words. They are active! Sitting around and waiting is not all there is to patience!
Maybe, in our Christian context, “good things come to those who wait” is not the right way to look at patience. Patience is a combination of attitude, self-control and knowing how to handle a situation. For us, we have someone to look to in every situation who can provide us with the answers and direction we need. The next time someone invokes the word patience with you, don’t become immediately frustrated. Go to God and persevere, diligently praying for His leading. Be actively patient!