Patience: A Virtue We Can Always Chose in Every Circumstance

I was having a lull in my writing and couldn’t think of a topic to write when I chanced upon a comment coming from a lady reacting to a thread I have posted in a social networking group. The comment reads: “Patience is not a virtue but simply a waste of time.” It’s her comment that inspired me to write this article (thanked her for that) and began to recall my truculent years as a teen.

Since childhood, my tolerance for nonsense thing was very low. How it irritates me seeing nonsense TV commercials or witnessing actors or actresses sloppy acting performance that looks like a bunch of morons. I can be easily annoyed when things don’t measure to my standard and I was never ready to admit that that patience is a virtue until I found the ways of God.

The Negative Side

Lack of patience can lead us to anger and later on resentment. It could also lead us into confrontational situation that may ruin relationships and sometimes even danger. How impatience affects our health and life expectancy if we continue to wallow in the negative side of our feelings—hatred.

God’s Side

The Bible has so many answers that would help us change our ways.
(Romans 15:5) May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other and with the attitude of Christ Jesus towards other.
(Galatians 5:22) When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
(Colossians 1:11) We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need.

The Positive Side

Patience leads to harmony with others and endurance to handle difficult circumstances; an expectant attitude of hope that things will get better. It demonstrates a thoughtful and careful attitude toward others feelings. Anyone can be patient but there is a higher level of patience which comes from God through his Holy Spirit’s presence and work in our lives.

God’s love and work in our daily lives often brings patience. Patience is a characteristic of love. The more loving we become the more we model the nature of God in our lives, so let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

What Patience Is Yet To Offer

Patience is evidence of strength of character. Enduring patience flows from strong character. It is also an aspect of faith and hope. The greater our hope, the more we patiently wait for it, and the more our faith grows that it will truly happen.
Patience is the key to achieving many goals. Achieving goals is rarely done with a quantum leap, but rather by small footsteps. Patience is the key to enduring suffering. Suffering is better endured when patiently endured. God uses our relationships to develop our patience. Abrasive relationships teach us to patiently endure. Loving relationships teach us to patiently enjoy.

God uses life circumstances to develop our patience. We do not always choose the circumstances that come our way, but we do choose the way we respond to them.