Feb. 22: Praying for Patience?

I always been told to never pray for patience. The things you have to endure in order to have patience woven into your character are not pleasant things. Folks often say, "Don't pray for patience; when you do God will fill you life with difficulty in order to teach you to be patient".

I have discovered in my 45 years that life is pretty much full of difficulty regardless of how I respond to it. I can choose to respond patiently or impatiently. I ususally choose the later and make the situation more difficult.

Life is full of temptations, frustrations and irritations--why would I not pray for patience? What's the alternative; to pray for impatience? I don't need to pray for that, I mastered that already. It's patience I need. How do I get it?

Jesus' brother tells us in the Bible (James 1:2-4) to "consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Perseverance is patience in motion. Patience is often passive--it's waiting for the storm to pass. Perseverance is making progress while carrying a heavy load. Pushing forward while still shouldering the burdern. Yes, that is what I need, and for what I must pray.

Related to patience and perseverance is self-control. Self-control is patience's pretty cousin.
The Bible tells us, too, that the "fruit of the Spirit", (the evidence of God's Holy Spirit directing us) is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
(Galatians 5:22-23).

Peace, patience and self-control. That's what I need. My only hope is in being full of God and not full of myself.

~ Father, God: help me today to reflect your character by the way I react to the hand I'm dealt. Defuse my explosive temper and pride-filled tantrums and replace them with your peace and patience. I don't want self-control as much as I want Spirit-control. Amen.