Wanda Bam

"And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” Luke 7:23

“But wisdom is justified of all her children.” Luke 7:35

Patience is probably the most difficult lesson to learn in life. How often do we hear “I am not an impatient person, I take life as it comes”? The question that we should ask though is, how do I think and react when I am subjected to difficult and trying circumstances, such as sickness, job loss, disaster, trauma and so many others? These realities often bring about changes in us and in our perspective of life, at times unwittingly and unknowingly.

It is only when those around me become impatient, that I am also confronted by impatience and experience inner turbulence. Impatience is mostly ignited by external factors, which generally lead to turbulent emotions, which then often lead to destructive actions. The following scenario explains it well: My home is broken into, which leads to feelings of insecurity, fear and bitterness. I become somewhat impatient towards the government, who is not combatting crime effectively. I accuse others and become suspicious, perhaps even becoming angry at God.

Patience is a valuable quality that is often acquired through experiencing harsh realities. I do not always receive what I deserve or would like. I may not be accustomed to inconvenience or discomfort anymore. I am no longer able to postpone reward and the urge to immediately satisfy my needs has perhaps become my focus. I struggle to accept that when I ask of God, my prayers may not be answered immediately. My circumstances may not change as quickly as I would like them to. I am not able to decide as to when, where and how my prayers are answered. Often we struggle to differentiate between something not happening quickly enough and our perception of what “quickly” is and how it is to happen. These all stem from the same origin, namely impatience. Our mind says that we will only encounter peace when our circumstances have changed as we want them to. The truth is, it is not necessarily our circumstances that dictate whether we are happy or unhappy, but the way in which we assess our circumstances and react to it.

Prayer: “Father, help me not to be dictated to by my emotions, but by a new and recreated spirit. Teach me to be patient with that which I cannot change. Amen”