I Want It Now!

Patience can be defined as "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry."

Yikes!  "Without getting angry.'" That's the tough part, isn't it?

One of my favorite books of the Bible is Job.  In high school I was in a play that was roughly based on the story of Job.  I was not the leading actor but was so vital that they needed me to play 3 different parts.  Clearly, Hollywood was not quite ready for my acting skills!

One of my roles was to play the part of one of the kids that died.  Only had one scene as the kid.  We were all sitting at a table eating dinner and I knocked the turkey off the table.  That was not in the script.  Epic fail!

Job is a different book of the Bible than the other poetry books(Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs) and at times not the most encouraging; however there are many life lessons.  In essence, its the story of the justice of God in light of human suffering.  Job showed patience with his suffering, with his advisers(friends), and with God.

Haven't read the book of Job.  Take some time to read it this month and notice the patience that Job displayed.

There are opportunities every day to display patience.  We have been painting our Inspire Kids area.  I hate painting.  It's not something you can rush.  You have to be patient.  If you try to rush painting, it becomes a huge disaster.

For God, it seems as though patience is all about relationships with people. Even after we sinned, He still pursued us. He sent Jesus, His own Son to make a way for us to be with Him. He waited time after time for people to repent and make things right—something He still does today.

When we show patience, we are less likely to hurt our relationships with others. We are more likely to trust that God has something better for us in the future. And when we trust God with our future, even when we’re in-between on life’s journey and asking Him, “Are we there yet?” we can have patience knowing that His plan and His timing are always better than our own.

This month as we partner with you in teaching your kids about patience, consider starting the discussion in your home with these questions.

Ask a kid:  What are some things that you have to wait for?
Ask a parent: Why is patience important for us?