Patience

God has a funny way of speaking to me when I get a tad bit whiny. Recently I have felt discouraged about love and have been complaining because I want a good man to share my life with and I seem to attract jerks consistently. That is just a brief backstory so you can understand that at 25, having just ended another relationship with the wrong guy, I am getting a little bored of looking for Mr. Right. With this mindset I have been throwing myself a small pity party and last Sunday night God reminded me of the things that really matter most.

I attend New Vision Baptist and I love Pastor Brady and his style of preaching. I highly recommend if you are interested in finding a church to visit this one. Plug out of the way, now onto the sermon that really struck a chord with me. Patience was the theme and this sermon was part of a larger series, Half of my Heart. The series is about giving God more than just part of us and what is easy and diving in fully. I love this concept and it is something I struggle with because I love to be in control.

Anywho, Brady mentioned a quote toward the end of the sermon, "People will either drive you crazy or drive you to the cross." I really like this because I think we have the opportunity to chose which direction we're heading. Patience is evidence of spiritual growth and a lack of patience reveals selfishness. Patience involves a change in perspective. These concepts ring a little blunt but true. I really love the idea of perspective and I believe that it greatly affects our individual outlooks on life. The closer we are to God the more understanding we will be and we will react more generously.

A few relevant bible verses that Brady listed are:

-John 15:4-6

-Proverbs 14:29

Max Lucado once said, "Patience is more than a virtue for long lines and slow waiters. Patience is the red carpet upon which God's grace approaches." Patience is a great moment to share about God's grace and love. People are used to those surrounding them being selfish and a bit self-absorbed, they will notice when someone displays patience. I think that you have to also be cautious to differentiate between being patient and being a pushover. I do not advocate letting someone walk all over you, but I do advocate being kinder.

I arrived at church Sunday night and laughed to myself when I read the sermon notes to see what the topic was. Anytime I get frustrated or discouraged, God sends me a message through a sermon, something I'm reading, an uplifting friend, or kindness from a stranger. He is always constant and realizing He is in control allows me to be more patient. Knowing that there is a plan and I can't see all the steps is hard for me to accept, but it means that even though I might not understand why I have to wait on certain things; God has a plan.

Whenever patience is considered it is only a matter of time before someone mentions Job. He lost everything, but remained patient and God rewarded him greatly. God rewards those who persevere. I obviously need to learn this lesson because patience and perseverance are the theme words of my life. James does an excellent job of explaining what patience achieves for us as followers. Everything always comes full circle and anytime patience is mentioned I think of my favorite quote by Mother Teresa, "Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything."