The Beauty of Patience

Update: I'm afraid that the Carnival of Beauty participants may not have realized I would be hosting it this week. I don't mind adding you late if you have a submission! Send them to me 1luxvenit@gmail.com

Blair, who writes Scribblings, is sharing an old poem she wrote about her husband and a recent post about waiting on the Lord and the Cheerio Mounds that result when you don't. Excellent post, Blair!

This is my submission:

"But I don't want to do patience!"

Those are words I hear from my five year old son quite often. If we were all as honest about our feelings as Noah, then we'd all allow ourselves to shout it out, too. Instead, we adults prefer to heave loud sighs and shift our feet and roll our eyes and, well, whatever it is you do to let someone else know you've waited long enough. We really don't like to do patience.

What does patience do exactly?

Patience waits.

Patience is letting my daughter scramble the eggs because she wants to even though I could do it better and faster.

Patience trusts God.

Patience suffers under an unjust rebuke, considers it joy, and does not attempt to defend itself.

Patience considers others first.

Patience realizes that God has been infinitely patient with us, so we ought to be patient with one another.

Patience understands that God is working through His own patience, and we must be patient to see the fruit of the work He is doing.

I must demonstrate patience as a mother. I am working, planting seeds of righteousness (I hope), sowing God's word into the hearts of my children, and I must be patient before I will see the fruit of that work. Honestly, I may have to wait for Heaven to see that fruit. However, I also have to be patient and trust God that my work is not for naught. He will be faithful to all of His promises to me.

When we are patient, we show the world that faith in God is better than fighting and rushing and scrambling to get and achieve and be finished and maintain control and defend.

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:25)