Patience-in Our World?

Posted January 19, 2007

A commentary by Mary Miller

My family and I have recently experienced a great sadness. An unexpected tragedy caused us to come to grips with the great challenge of patience while trusting God's providence. My aunt died during childbirth at the end of November, leaving behind her husband, nine children and a large extended family. It has been very difficult for everyone.

My new baby cousin survived, but was born with severe brain damage. The doctors gave him two weeks to live. He is now seven weeks old, truly a miracle child, even recovering from a severe respiratory infection. Although doing much better now, he still suffers from seizures and remains brain damaged. When we visited the family recently, he was experiencing muscle spasms from severe stomach pain. It was so difficult to see, and all we could do was hold and comfort him.

Throughout all of this, patience has been foremost in my mind, and it has made me think. Our world seems to be moving at the speed of light and continually increasing speed as well. How can we live like this? You've heard the saying: "Patience is a virtue." But is it really?

I found that the saying is a biblical principle. God is in fact "the God of patience," and we know that we need to be like that too (Romans 15:5). Patience affects many aspects of our lives. Here are two that I have considered during this difficult time:

In prayer, be patient with God. Sometimes it seems like God is not hearing our prayers. But not getting the instant answer we want does not mean that He does not hear—or care. The answer to the prayer may be "No, this is not My will for you," or "Yes, but now is not the time."

This is true in the case of my baby cousin and the rest of his family. We and many friends have been praying very hard for God's will, for the baby's complete healing and for his pain to be taken away. When we visited the other night, it seemed like God was not answering that prayer. But patience helps us realize that we do not know what is best and when. God knows that.

With children, be patient. Considering that I have eight other cousins in that family, five of whom are age 12 or younger, I learned again that patience with children is critical. Even though children are delightful companions and lots of fun to be with, they definitely try one's patience at times. They're exploring the world, just learning things that are automatic to us. If they ask hundreds of questions or take a very long time tying their shoes, practice patience. If we do, we can begin to see the world through their eyes. Jesus Himself admonished His disciples to be patient with children (Luke 18:15-17).

There are many opportunities to practice patience in our world. It is a vital character trait to develop in order to become more like God the Father and Jesus Christ. I have learned, and am still learning, to be more patient, especially in the trial my family is going through.

I have certainly learned that patience is a virtue. We can have faith in that. To learn more about it and other profound life lessons, request or just download your own, free copy of You Can Have Living Faith. Trust me, you too can learn patience! VT