The Key of PATIENCE
One of the most interesting admonitions in the bible was given by the apostle Paul. He said:
“If we hope for that (what) we see not, then do we with patience wait for it”1
We can quickly conclude from this verse that your future is in an unseen realm. It belongs to the realm of hope. You are not there yet, so you must wait patiently until the time of its fulfillment.
If you want to be successful in life, you must learn the virtue of patience. After you have created your plans, drawn out your goals and taken the necessary actions you must take to have a fulfilled life, you must wait for when each vision gets accomplished. Every vision has an appointed time. It’s ok to play your part ahead of the time, but you must wait for the time.
One very big reason why people make a mess of their lives today is because of impatience. Many graduates today have picked up guns and are on the highways robbing. They just can’t wait until they make it. Some of them lose their lives in the process.
Many young girls are into prostitution right now. They believe things will never work out, so if they are ever going to survive they must exchange their bodies for money. They end up facing grave consequences later-on in their lives.
Many accidents happen on highways all over the world today that can be traced to drivers being impatient. Often times we hear observers here in Nigeria say things like “the driver tried to overtake dangerously”. But what makes drivers to overtake dangerously? –impatience! They just can’t wait for the right time to move.
That is how it is with life. Many people on their way to destiny crash-land because of their impatience. Haven’t you seen or heard about bright young people who got into jail just because they got involved in internet frauds. The truth is, at the heart of every act of misconduct on anyone’s path to greatness is impatience. Watch it because it kills faster than cancer.
Paul’s admonition is that if we must get to the future we desire, which of course we can’t see, then we must learn to wait.
When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, hundreds of thousands of them failed to get to Canaan. They all died in the wilderness. We were told that they murmured, complained and even worshiped other gods.
Those actions provoked God to anger, hence causing Him to deny them entry into the land that they were promised. But impatience was at the heart of all their provocative actions. Many of us today behave like the Israelites in the wilderness.
We get so bored with the process of life that we get out of our way to do things we would not do on a normal day. Most of the curses people suffer from today are self-inflicted, and impatience sits at the heart of it.
In the previous chapter, I talked about the need to “run with patience”2 the race that is set before us. Well, that seems conflicting.
How do you run patiently? Running should be an aggressive action. When you run in a 100m race for example, you should be swift and fast enough to beat all your opponents. But the bible reference there gives us a contrary view. It tells us to run patiently. That’s a paradox.
It means that when we get really obsessed with our dreams and plans, we must pay attention to the fact that time is a crucial circle in which every aspiration is confined.
Just like it takes time to build a house (even when you’ve got all the money), it also takes time to fulfill your dreams even though you’ve done all you need to do.
So, what do you do when you’ve done all you should do? My answer is wait! Patience is what to do when you’ve done all you should do.” It’s one of the fruits of the spirit.3That means spirit filled people are patient in heart. You must learn to wait on God to play his part. He makes everything beautiful in its time. That means everything has a time like we often say. The wise king said “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven”.4
Simply put, purpose must pass through a process before it comes into fruition -and process takes time. That is why impatient people never accomplish their goals. They just can’t wait for the right time. They get out of way to do things they should not do. They want what we often call quick success.
Two incredible bible phrases are found in the bible. It reads “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulations …”5 This is very crucial. Note the key words:
You have hope because you know that as long as you are alive, you can become successful if you maximize the opportunities that come your way. It makes you happy and gives you reasons to look ahead with optimism.
But you must also be conscious of the fact that the process leading to a great life is not easy. That’s the meaning of the word tribulation. Patience is however the only virtue that can help you survive and go through tribulations without being tossed out of the way. Hence the phrases “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulations” That is, fix your mind on the future, but wait for your time of accomplishment.
I read this from the bible: “and every man that striveth for mastery, is temperate in all things….”6 You want to be a master? You must learn temperance. You are always in a hurry, that’s why you end up with nothing. Temperance is the key to mastery.
James said “blessed is the man that endures temptations, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life”.7 Endurance is the watchword of champions. “Temptation” as used in this verse symbolizes the process you need to go through before you become successful. You need endurance. It’s the conquerors virtue.
Please realize that God has promised you success.8 But you’ve got to do God’s will by rejoicing in hope -the hope that you will attain the heights God has promised. Keep your hope alive. Endure the process but remain optimistic as you wait.
SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES
1. Romans 8:25
2. Hebrews 12:1
3. Galatians 5:22
4. Ecclesiastes 3:1
5. Romans 12:2
6. 1 Corinthians 9:25
7. James 1:12
8. Jeremiah 29:11