LOVE IS PATIENT

It takes great deal of pateince to teach the child to ride bicycle

Patience is no doubt a great virtue. It is a calm and unruffled temper with which we bear, accept and tolerate the “evils of life” – the hardships, provocations, delays, problems, and sufferings without becoming annoyed or anxious. Patience is our cheerful acceptance of life.

The world today is filled with many impatient people; always in a hurry to get on to the next thing on their busy schedule. They will therefore get rid of anyone who stands their way or slows them down. We don’t even have the time to feed our bodies and souls, and as such many of us suffer from many physical and spiritual diseases – we lack the basic nutrients that nourish the body and soul!

Love will motivate you to become a patient person. You become slow to anger; choosing to have a long fuse instead of a quick or hot temper. 

We all have weaknesses, but we are always impatient with the weaknesses of others. We are even impatient with God. We want Him to do things faster than He should act – to grant our wishes now whether we are ready to handle them or not.

But love endures the weaknesses of others.

It is not quick on the lips, verbally abusing and devastating others, knowing that a few seconds of wait could prevent such damage. It is not in a hurry to discard a relationship because of a disagreement, but patiently works to preserve the love, being kind and tolerable to the one who causes the injury, knowing that love covers all offenses. It gives you the ability to hold on during tough times or hardships in your relationships rather than bailing out of the prevailing storm. It chooses to give others more time than they deserve to make corrections when they make mistakes.

Truly, a loving person is always patient – with other people and even himself.

The Fruits of Patience

It is part of human life to want things NOW! We would all like our desires, hopes and aspirations to be answered immediately, rather than having to wait. But, undoubtedly, we usually do have to wait to get what we want – and we have always benefited for waiting.

Relationally or socially, the more patient you are with others, the likelier you are to be viewed positively by your peers and your managers, not to mention your family and friends. Impatient people are often seen as arrogant, insensitive, and impulsive, and are often avoided because of their poor interpersonal skills and bad tempers. The patient person is seen as a very nice and pleasant person to work and be around with. Can people around you count on having a patient person to deal with? 

Physically, the patient person often have the attitude of ‘look before you leap’ which helps him/her to land very well. Most people can look back on incidents in their lives that proved to work out poorly simply because they did not exhibit patience.  Having patience means that you will learn to accept setbacks and everyday problems without getting overly angry, making yourself and others miserable. The more patient person enjoys life much, much more.

Spiritually, patience enables us to develop and exercise faith which is built up in times of trial (James 1:2-3) – this is a faith in God and in ourselves. If we judge ourselves only by our results and success then we do not have faith in our inner self. Our real self seeks to quietly do the right thing and not worry about the result. “The patient man is a perfect man” (James 1:4). 

Emotionally, patience can transform suffering into joy. Throughout life we suffer injustice and suffering. The best healer is time and patience. Being patient and accepting our situation make it quite possible for our suffering to be transformed. Sri Chinmoy said "If failure has the strength to turn your life into bitterness itself, then patience has the strength to turn your life into the sweetest joy…" Patient love brings an internal stability and calmness during times of external storm, enabling you to control your emotions instead of allowing your emotions to control you.

Economically, patience is necessary for success. It is said that "all good things come to those who wait." If we wish to achieve anything of significance, we cannot expect to achieve it overnight. Many of our great scientists have remarked how their scientific discoveries came only through patient perseverance. "If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it is owed more to patient attention, than to any other talent." – Sir Isaac Newton. To achieve anything great in life, we have to develop patience, not being influenced by the ups and downs of life. Patience teaches us to value the effort and not just the success. To get the most from life, we should value the preparation and effort, as much as the success or failure that may result. If you have no patience you may find yourself achieving short term goals and generally missing out on the long term ones. It is a true saying that "you can find bargains if you have the patience to sift through the rubbish."

Psychologically, patient people are normally viewed as good decision makers, because they don’t make quick judgments.  Patience brings peace of mind. Patience means we will work with an attitude of detachment, which avoids needless worry and anxiety and in place brings peace of mind. 

Do not be hasty and miss the way but patiently wait on the Lord for his timely and perfect course of action.

Love is patient; ready to do its work when the time comes, but presently calm and waiting. Patience is the normal attitude of Love; it is Love in Passivity.

 

References:

1. Reduce Me To Love  by Joyce Meyer
2. Spirit-Controlled Temperament by Tim LaHaye