Patience as ‘the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.’
Wikipedia says, “Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding with disrespect or anger, forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties; or being able to wait for a long time without getting irritated or bored. Patience is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.”
Patience is crucial to success in family life and business, and you’re going to have to work really hard to master that skill. You should make every effort to become a more patient woman if you want to be successful in all areas of your life.
The Bible places patience on a very high pedestal for every human and more so for mothers who have to raise little children.
Proverbs 25:15 says what patience can do: “Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.”
Apparently, people with patience wield a lot of power—more power than you would think at first glance.
Ozark Christian College professor of New Testament Greek, Kenny Boles shares a story from the B.C. era that exemplifies patience’s endurance. Carthage (North Africa) and Rome (Italy) were combating for control over the Mediterranean world.
The Carthaginians would ultimately lose, however around 215 B.C., their acclaimed general Hannibal was overcoming urban areas in Italy. One of these cities, Casilinum, intrigued Hannibal when he put it under attack and it kept on resisting, despite the fact that they had not more than 540 warriors. They were so patient that even during the siege, Hannibal saw Casilinum residents planting turnips near the wall. “They expected to hold out long enough to harvest them!” says Boles. That is being patient: to have a strong soul that remembers the big picture even when faced with significant difficulties.
We show patience to people, but also to God amid troubled circumstances. Faithfulness to God translates into patience in everyday difficulties, knowing that God is using tough times to grow our endurance (James 1:2-4).
James 5:7-8 encourages us, “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near” (James 5:7-8). We are to “imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised” (Heb. 6:12).
Here are the 3 principal benefits you’ll get by getting more patient:
1. Better Decision Making: You will become better at making decisions if you learn to be patient. You will take the time to evaluate each circumstance and realize that rash decisions are never beneficial. Your possibilities of committing a major error will diminish on the grounds that you will try not to make choices carelessly. Tolerance is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is “timing” it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way. ― Fulton J. Sheen
2. Less stress: By turning out to be more patient, you will significantly decrease psychological stress. You will come to realize that waiting for things to happen is not always a bad thing and that some things take longer to complete than others. When things get tough, you’ll notice that you start to feel less stressed, irritated, and overwhelmed as you develop patience.
3. Better relationships: By turning out to be more tolerant, you become more adaptable and understanding towards the inadequacies and missteps of your spouse, kids, associates. This will assist you with building better relationships. Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. – John Quincy Adams
May the Lord pour upon you right now the grace to be a more patient person in Jesus name.
Remember, Patience is a Virtue and not a Weakness!
