Patience

In the last couple of weeks I've seen and heard numerous people complaining about having to be patient. "Don't pray for patience, God will give you opportunities to practice it," or, "I hate being patient." It seems that the people I know hate being patient or even praying for patience (despite the fact that they thought about praying for it in the first place). The most common problem I hear, especially from Christians is "If I pray for patience, God won't give me it, but he'll give me opportunities to practice it." I love how patience is not something to be desired but instead something to be complained about.
Don't get me wrong. I am not standing on my pedestal judging others for being impatient. I am simply pointing out an ironic fact. I have definitely had my fair share of having to be patient so I understand how hard it is at times. However, let me share a few stories:
My boyfriend is the most patient person I know. I have never met anyone who is as laid-back and understanding and encouraging as Joe is. He's taught me more about patience in the 8 years I've known him than I could probably have learned in one lifetime without him. He knows the meaning of the words "waiting on God" and I admire him so much for trusting in God blindly even when he had no idea where his future would lead. In high school he never had a clear picture of what he wanted to do. He didn't want to end up doing something that God didn't approve of. God didn't give him the big picture but instead took him by the hand and led him baby step by baby step through the last 10 years.
When I was in high school, living with my mom was always a challenge. At the time the doctors thought she was bi-polar which meant her moods could shift quickly. It was always unpredictable, especially when she told me to do something. I definitely couldn't waist time in doing it or I would receive the wrath of my mother. I remember fighting with her over trivial things like doing the dishes or not waking her up from a nap. I would always end up biting my tongue and not saying what I really wanted to say to her because I knew our arguments would never end. It's that sense of tension that you get in your shoulders and chest when you are so frustrated but can't do anything about it. And then someone tells you to be patient...
Joe and I began dating when we were both 21. We had been friends since our junior year in high school, so we already knew each other quite well before we dated. Within the first couple of months we established that we would be dating with the intent of marriage. However, marriage wasn't even an option until we were both out of college. Joe was already a sophomore in college at the time, and I was taking a break from school to work. I figured we would have 2 years at the most. You see, I already knew that Joe was the one that I wanted to be with. God definitely had a different plan. The spring after we began dating I got accepted to a college 2 1/2 hours away from his. With a minimum of 4 years of school. Joe ended up adding another major to his program and gained an additional 3 years of school. My plans didn't work out. And long distance relationships teach patience.
When I say I understand patience, I don't exaggerate. Joe wasn't the boyfriend that I expected when we first started dating. But every time I asked God if I was doing the right thing, he would say, "Just wait. Trust me." And Joe has grown into the man I need. I didn't expect to be in college until I was 25 years old. But though I am ready to be done, God is telling me that my work here is not done. Going to a small Christian college isn't always easy. In the last 2 1/2 years I've been here there have been probably 25 engagements or more, and most of those couples have been married by now. I keep asking God, "When will it be my turn? When will I be one of those people?" And he replies with, "Just wait. Trust me."
When I hear people complain about having to be patient, I inwardly chuckle. Do you really know what it's like? Or is patience simply waiting in line at the grocery store? To bring up a Biblical example: Israel had to wait for their Messiah for thousands of years. The Jews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before they could enter the Promised Land. Abraham was told that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. God told him to sacrifice his one and only son. Yet, he provided.
I don't want to trivialize your problems or make them seem like they're not important, but I wonder if we as humans (as Americans especially) even know the meaning of patience. We live in a consumer-driven age where we can literally have anything we want anytime we want it. If we are hungry we can get in our cars and drive to a fast food restaurant. If we need to talk to someone we can text them or call them on our cell phones. It seems like everyone is so busy that not only can we not make time to slow down, but we don't know how to. We have our jobs, our families, our meetings, our sports, our classes, our events and activities. There is so much that fills our time and our lives that we forget how to slow down. And then we complain about having to be patient.
I try not to be hypocritical. Therefore, everything that I have mentioned above is true of me also. I struggle with patience daily. But then I have my boyfriend and my God remind me of why I need to be. Because the rewards are worth it. God will provide. Jesus came to save the Jews and the world. The Israelites got to enter the Promised Land and have their own nation to call home. Joe is figuring out his future as a Physics teacher. And I will eventually get married. And it will all be worth it. When that does happen, I will forget about how long I had to wait because it won't have mattered. Right now, patience seems like a small price to pay for a worthy reward.