For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
- Romans 8:24-25

Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
- Galatians 6:9

Patience.

My greatest weakness.
Literally.

I feel like I have made nothing of my life.
Disappointed in the fact that I haven’t had a big moment;
feeling like I’ve already waited for so long.

I decided awhile back that I was going to grow up as fast as I could.
I threw away my high school years and the first two years of college, trying to do so.
I thought by now I should have done something great.

But I am only twenty years old.

I have only ran in circles looking for that big moment.

Why, though?
What am I searching for?
Why am I trying so hard?

Why did I rush through the greatest years of my life only to hit a dead-end?

It took everything falling apart a few times for me to realize that I’m just far too inpatient, and that I’m still young, still naïve, and still in need of a lot of experience and preparation.

Simply my faith.

I was lacking faith in the fact that God already had a big moment planned for me.
And the realization that it isn’t on my time, either.

I can’t fast forward to the end of God’s plan.
I can’t even speed it up.
Or pause it when it comes.

It is God’s timing.

Deeper than that.

It is a deeper issue than just being inpatient.
It’s more than just wanting to make a name for myself.
There’s something more.

I assumed that if I tried to grow up sooner, then the pains of the past would cease to affect me.
Not the case.

Those struggles only kept me running,
and the running didn’t get me to that big moment any quicker.

Be in trust.

Maybe I can’t give a long list of steps to take to get to patience.
I certainly can’t declare that I have found my patience, either.

I still struggle with patience.
I am still in search of something big to happen.

But I have learned something.

To trust in the Lord.
To trust His timing.
To trust His plan.
To trust His way.

I can’t do it on my own, and the more inpatient I am, the harder it will be.

I need to accept the fact that I cannot reach my big moment, or life changing event, on my timing.
I’ll never get there if I keep trying to force it.

And neither will you.

Patience is a tricky attribute to obtain. If we’re all honest with ourselves, then we will agree that we truly do lack in this area. We try to believe that we can control everything that happens in our lives, or that if we don’t want to wait we can simply fast forward to the next chapter. But maybe there is more waiting for us in that moment that we are trying to skip over. A lesson. A lesson bigger than just patience. There is a lesson that brings to our attention the mistake we made in the first place; a reminder of where we went wrong.

Challenge time.

Stop running in circles. Stop trying to skip ahead. Be in trust. Most importantly, during this time of waiting, continue to worship. For while you are waiting, God is preparing the next step in His big plan for you. Maybe it is the big moment, or maybe it is a few more little steps. But the more you try to skip ahead, the further away from His plan you will be.

I challenge you to wait.
Wait with patience.
Wait with trust.
Wait while worshiping.

God is not punishing you by making you wait;
He is growing you, and preparing you for what is next.
There is power in patience.

Related articles

• For Startups, Patience is a Virtue (markevanstech.com)
• Testing Faith Produces Patience (christianbikersource.wordpress.com)
• Patience (thoughtfulbeliever.wordpress.com)
• The Extraordinary Patience of Things. (manifestationyoga.com)
• A Fruit of the Spirit is…Patience (conquerorshots.wordpress.com)
• He Won’t Give Up (brokenbelievers.com)