Fruit of the SpiritSample

Patience

Personally, I can be pretty impatient. If somebody doesn’t immediately do what he or she ought to do, or if something takes more time than I expected, this annoys me. I think I’m not the only one with this problem.

Moreover, we are sometimes impatient with God. We think that the Lord is “slow to fulfill his promise”, for example with regard to the Day of the Lord (when all evil will finally be dealt with). Peter corrects this view by explaining: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God is infinitely good and infinitely wise, so we should rather trust in his timing and “wait patiently” like Abraham did (Hebrews 6:15, see also James 5:7).

Our God is patient with us and with other people. We too should love our fellow believers and “be patient with them all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

Do you recognize the fruit of patience in your life?