The Dying Fruit of Patience
I can’t wait to have patience, cuz patience is a wonderful thing!
Hurry up, let me have, gotta get it now; I want it more than anything!1
Those words sung on a cassette tape I had as a kid can still easily and accurately describe my life. I hate waiting for anything. And thankfully, I don’t have to wait near as much as I used to. And neither do you.
No longer do I have to wait for days (or weeks until the roll is finished) to find out what a picture looks like while it’s getting developed. Now I can see it the very moment I take it.
No longer do I have to sit through the interminable opening credits in an older Disney animated movie (the bane of my existence as a child). And I can avoid being held captive to a TV’s opening as well. All I have to do is click a button and I can “skip intro.”
Waiting to see a new movie in your own home used to take months; now you can stream a new title just a week or two after its theatrical release.
Need something from the store? Click a button and have it delivered within the hour!
The list of how the need for patience has become an endangered species could go on and on. Don’t get me wrong. I love instant gratification—and there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of these twenty-first-century innovations. However, we learn in Galatians 5 that patience is a fruit of the Spirit (v. 22). As badly as we want to live in a “waitless” society, we still need patience in order to grow into the image of Christ. God didn’t design the Christian life with a “skip” button.
Patience in Our Own Growth
In a classic Frog and Toad tale, Toad receives some seeds and excitedly plants them. He checks on them a few minutes later, expecting to find flowers, but of course the dirt looks just like it had a few minutes earlier. He tells them to grow, shouts at them to grow, sings to them, and reads them stories. Eventually he learns that what they need most—beyond sunshine and water—is time. He just needs to be patient.
Sometimes I’m more like Toad than I’d care to admit. I wish that I could have the Christlike character of the more seasoned believers in my church—but without quite so much gray hair. I’d love to have their wisdom, their kindness, their faithfulness, their fervor for evangelism, and, yes, their patience. But I can’t nuke my Christian life in the microwave and have Christlike character when I open the door. It’s a process. The New Testament makes that clear. Note the progression in the following verses:
And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. (Romans 5:3–4)
Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2–4)
No farmer (Toad notwithstanding) puts seed in the ground in the morning and expects full fruition by supper. The same is true of spiritual fruit. Of course, I must balance this by saying that we do put effort into growth (Phil. 2:12). Any gardener knows that the magic doesn’t happen only by waiting. Watering, weeding, and heat are all necessary ingredients for a harvest. So, too, we need the water of the Word of God (Eph. 5:26), the heat of trials (Rom. 5:3–4; James 1:3–4), and the discipline of repentance, renewal of our minds, and putting off sin (Eph. 4:22–24).
With these, and the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we will grow. It will likely be slow and indiscernible at times—but it’s certain.
Patience with Others
While I could copy and paste most of what I wrote in the preceding section, it’s important to park for a moment on the notion of exhibiting patience with others’ spiritual growth. Sometimes we have much more patience for our own growth (or lack thereof) than we do for that of other people, perhaps especially those who live under the same roof.
“Why can’t he be a better leader?” we might ask ourselves. Or “when will she ever learn not to be so self-absorbed?” Questions like this reveal a great deal about what’s going on in our own hearts: namely, a battle with the sin of impatience. We cannot expect other people to grow at an overnight-express rate while recognizing that our own growth will be slow but steady.
Patience in Prayer
This summer my kids and I spent quite a bit of time in airports. We flew together four times and suffered delays three of those, and thus had some extra time to wander around, trying not to get into too much trouble. One thing that I’ve noticed is how much airports have stepped up the vending machine game. It’s no longer just Fruit Snacks and Mountain Dew but headphones, neck pillows, Subway sandwiches, charging cords, and anything else you could conceive of needing while trapped inside an airport.
Designed with the late-night or stranded traveler in mind, these machines aim to give you what you want when you want it—a luxury during an unexpected travel delay but a dangerous way to think about prayer. But sadly that’s often how we view it: I put in my prayer and should immediately receive my reward.
The psalms tell us repeatedly to “wait for the LORD” (27:14; 37:34; 130:5) or to “be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7 ESV). This repetition in the song book of Israel occurs intentionally. Like us, God’s people wanted Yahweh to act with more speed and expediency in sending the Messiah than He did. Left up to them, the “fullness of times” (Gal. 4:4 ESV) would have happened about ten minutes after Eve ate the fruit in the garden. However, the wise and gracious Father waited centuries to send His Son. As the people cried out, “How long,” the answer would come time and again: “Wait patiently for the Lord.”
“Wait” might just be the most difficult answer to prayer because sometimes it seems so similar to “no.” The two are indistinguishable—that is, until they aren’t.
Maybe the petition that you keep bringing before the Lord only to hear “wait” isn’t something promised in Scripture. Maybe you’re seeking good things, such as a child, a spouse, a softened heart, a healthy body, relief from pain. No doubt the Almighty is adding heat to your seed—a necessary yet painful part of spiritual growth. You’ve heard “wait” with such regularity that you’re tempted to turn away from the throne. We wait and we trust, but we can hold on to a precious promise while we do:
They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 ESV)
Patience stinks. I ought to know. After all, I’m the queen of impatience. And our society is conspiring to destroy it altogether. However, our Creator, Father, Sustainer, and Redeemer requires it, knowing that it will ultimately shape us into the character of Christ.
1 Through the miracle of the internet, you too can experience this catchy tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeMoa1LC5bY.
Fortitude is courage in the face of pain, strength in the midst of adversity, and the ability to persevere under pressure. The kind of grit we need to follow Jesus doesn’t come from willpower or inner strength but from the grace of God poured out in our lives. Join us now through September 30 for Endure: A 40-Day Fortitude Challenge, during which you’ll be invited to depend upon Christ for everything and to cultivate the confidence, clarity, calm, community, and courage required to stand firm in the storms of life.
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