The fruit of the Spirit is…patience.
Because of the pace of life in our culture and the fact that we can receive so many goods and services almost instantly, patience is a fruit of the Spirit that is uniquely hard to cultivate. We don’t really have to be patient anymore and ironically enough, we don’t have time for the fruit of patience to grow.
When we moved into our new house, I had my heart set on planting a mango tree in our yard. I foolishly assumed that all you needed was some free space in your yard that had dirt. Then someone came and burst my mango tree dreams by telling me that it’s not so simple. It can take anywhere from 4-8 years for a mango tree to produce fruit. I can’t wait that long, I want a delicious mango tomorrow.
We are all in serious need of the Spirit’s fruit of patience, especially when it comes to our relationships with one another. It has been said that if you ever want to really test and grow your patience all you have to do is become a member of a local church and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so. Or as one humorous little poem puts it:
To dwell in love with saints above—
Oh that will be glory!
But to dwell below with saints we know—
Now that’s a different story!
The fruit of patience that the Spirit wants to bring forth in all our lives for the good of the church and our witness to those outside is the ability to steadfastly respond to others shortcomings and sins with gentleness and forgiveness.
Patience remembers that grace often works slow in our own lives just as much as it does in others.
Patience is mindful that God has forgiven us far more than we’ve ever had to forgive someone else.
Patience is conscious of the fact that people have to put up with us just as much as we have to put up with them.
Patience views an offense as an opportunity to display the Gospel rather than to display revenge.
Confessing our Lack of Patience
Sadly we are an impatient people in desperate need of a harvest of patience. In light of that, here is a prayer that you can use as a guide to help you confess your impatience to the Lord:
Our Gracious Heavenly Father, who overflows with patience toward his impatient children,
Forgive us for the many ways that we have failed to bear the fruit of patience in our lives. We have responded to the offenses of others by being quick to anger and slow to forgive. We have responded to the shortcomings of others with harshness rather than gentleness. We have pridefully forgotten our own faults and weaknesses and dealt impatiently with others. Instead of patiently overlooking wrongs that have been done to us we have responded according to the flesh. O Lord, be merciful and patient with us and give us the grace to be patient with one another.
In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
Seeing Patience through the Lens of the Gospel
As impatient as we are, we need to hear and remember the gospel, which so wonderfully tells us that our God is an abundantly patient Father toward His children. He is slow to anger and quick to forgive as we’re reminded in Psalm 103:
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
