Learning To Be Patient

Steph and Ash are community youth workers in Erdington, Birmingham. 

Psalm 40:1 (NIV) 
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 

I have many strengths, but patience is not one of them. As a child, I would often stamp my feet when I wasn’t able to have something as soon as I wanted it (and to be honest, still do). One definition of patience is ‘the capacity to accept suffering without being anxious’. What’s your capacity when it comes to waiting patiently? I often find myself with none. 

We can sometimes think patience is about the art of distraction; even waiting for the kettle to boil leads to sending three emails just to fill the time. When I was 21, I got an ear infection, which led to a few years of ongoing issues with my balance. Not being able to attend social events or do certain activities felt just as crippling as the physical symptoms, and I struggled to find hope for physical healing and redemption of time lost. I found it hard to accept my current circumstance, but I longed for it to change. For me, distraction led to feeling separated from God because I wasn’t choosing to spend time with him in the pain, and the denial of my circumstance led to resentment. 

When my capacity feels too full at work, I take a moment to write down everything that’s in my head. If anything, my to-do list grows, but my mind feels lighter. When increasing our capacity to be patient, I wonder if our approach needs to be similar, and thankfully, we have been given the best way to do this - prayer. 

In my experience: 
Suffering + Prayer = Intimacy with God
Intimacy + Acceptance = Contentment in the waiting 

Jesus longs to meet with us in our waiting, and the transformation that happens when we invite him into that space is life changing. 

Prayer - Jesus, I turn to you in my waiting. Help me to be patient in my suffering by finding contentment through intimacy with you.