A Patient Mind
- James Brown
- Oct 31, 2022
- 5 min read
While I know I am a work-in-progress for all areas of my life, I have been breathing a sigh of relief while evaluating my not-so-patient mindset. Although I am not where I want to be yet, the conversations around me have inspired me knowing that I am not alone. God has allowed me to see that a lot of us are working on the development of patience alongside one another. For my own revelation, it took talking about it with others for me to better understand the holistic approach that God is working thru all of us. I also learned that I may be a bit more careful of what I pray for, too.
Admittedly, James 1:2-4 is my favorite verse of the Bible. Maybe because I lack this skillset as a strength, yet strive for it, or possibly because I know the benefit of a patience mind. Regardless, I find myself reading it and feeling my flesh grumble as though it knows of the challenge ahead. Not feeling as though patience was achievable at first, I now find myself numbering the amazing blessings in my life to build the confidence that it is not an impossible skillset to obtain - it's just hard.
At first, I prayed heavily for patience to be a tool added to my skillset. I had hoped that once I gained patience, I would be able to walk easily through life's challenges. Regardless of the plot, with patience I stood a chance against the low valleys and would stabilize myself when hitting the high peaks. Though the mindset seemed logical, I did not really know what I was praying for, nor did I know what way God may use to help build patience as a skill for me. I wanted to better handle situations that challenged my expectations - I am sure that's a general prayer for most of us, but I quickly became hesitant to pray for patience after discussing it with those further in their path with Christ. Though I felt as though I wanted to work on that skill, when it came time to apply the work towards it, I embarrassingly felt cheated.
13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Philippians 2:13-15 KJV
My fleshly desire was to throw a tantrum because I slowly started to realize that in order to build that skillset, my patience had to be put to use. I found myself so naively thinking that education equated to experience. Although I wanted the skill, I did not want to be "inconvenienced" with the requirement of using it. Not before I had it built up as a superior skill, at least. For those with similar mindsets, I have some harsh reality coming for you, too.
Patience is an acquired skill, and, for me, it's still being acquired. It takes working through constraints of my expectations not being met, then aligning my focus more on God's will rather than my current concern. Though moments of despair sometimes cloud my mindset, I can find scripture that aligns my trials to God's work. When aligning these trials, I slowly become more focused on God's work, rather than what I feel like I am losing in the moment. Though the challenge seems to be overwhelming at times, I am reminded that tribulation builds patience. With that patience, we can slowly flicker into a light for other's darknesses.
Though both experience and education are able to prepare us, experience is the only ability for us to apply our skillset to see what we have learned. This allows for us to know if the skill is truly learned, or if the exercise is going to add to the testimony for growth before success. Either path is progression and the work of God building you beyond what you could do yourself.
My education of the Bible thru God's inspired word allows me to learn of patience, let alone my own life experiences, but working on patience as a skill still required me to use the tool and gain experience to be better at holding on to it. Though I constantly felt (and sometimes still do feel) as though I failed at acquiring patience, a recent message I heard from Billy Graham inspired me. While I am not as patient as I want to be, knowing that I am still growing closer to Jesus allows for me to continue in victory until it's achieved.
"The closer you get to Christ, the more sinful you are going to feel. Did you realize that? Everyone who has ever seen a true reflection of God is deeply convicted of his own sin. Peter said, "Lord depart from me for I am a sinful man!" The fact that you are aware of your sin and feel guilty about it is a sign of spiritual life." Billy Graham
As soon as I heard these words, I felt God's presence and began to weep. It's as though God sent this message directly to my heart to allow rest for my spirit. While a lot of people in my life are challenged thru different areas in their life, knowing that we are all working on patience allows me to be a bit more patient with myself for acquiring it. Through those building blocks that I cautiously acquire, I see God aligning us towards Him. Though often times it may seem like a detour from my expectations, I am faithful that the solution is in God's will and overall will be the best for me and my family.
Resting on that, I find myself more aware of the weave that faith and patience have sown themselves into each other, allowing for obedience to shine from the action of both. I hope that sharing some scripture I keep close to my heart will allow for you to also combat the doubts and distractions surrounding you. Additionally, I hope that these verses can be used by you, to revert the thoughts of deception from our joy. Please join me in a prayer:
"Heavenly Father, we ask that You find our hearts, seeking You. Search our hearts and find anything that should be removed. Please forgive us for our sins, allowing us to follow in the path of Jesus - the light, the truth and the way. Prepare our hearts to put Jesus first in our mind, hearts and spirit, living to our example given from You. Allow us to experience You in a way that continues to build our joy, hoping to inspire others to accept You into their lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen."
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