The Practice of Patience
I remember a time in my life where I was struggling with burnout. Things had been not going well for a while, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was that was happening to me. Surely a person in their 20’s couldn’t be “burnt out”?! But I was. Unfortunately I checked lots of those boxes of tell tale symptoms, and when I realized what was happening, I finally went and got some help through my favourite friend for hire (Dr. Merry Lin who’s been on See Hear Love before).
The thing about burnout is, it takes a long time to recover. To rebuild your energy levels, chemical endorphins, spiritual and mental health takes a long time. This is where I learned a lot about the Fruit of the Spirit called PATIENCE.
A scripture that meant so much to me in that time was from Psalm 40:1-3, out of how it’s written in The Message:
“I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked’ finally he listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn’t slip. He taught me how to sing the latest God-song, a praise-song to our God. More and more people are seeing this: they enter the mystery, abandoning themselves to God.”
I love how it says “waited” three times. It’s as if the person writing this is as exasperated and long-suffering as I was, longing for change, longing for healing, and impatient for God to act and make things right.
But God doesn’t always work that way. Just like any good parent, he is also teaching and growing his kids in the practice of patience, as we learn to trust in him more and desire his Spirit’s power to work in us instead of our own.
As this scripture indicates in Psalm 40, until he opens the next door, we are learning to praise him in the hallway.
Whatever you’re waiting for today- praise the Lord. Sing a song to him of his goodness and faithfulness to you. Don’t forget his kindness to you and presence with you- bless the Lord! We are strengthened with courage and patience as we sing. It’s a supernatural experience that can only be learned through times of great waiting. No matter our circumstances or longsuffering, we know how this story ends- with us fully alive and made whole in Christ when we see him face to face, forevermore!