“As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”
Luke 8:15
Mom grew up on a Kansas farm and had the green thumb to prove it! Her flower beds and houseplants were healthy, full-blossomed testimonies to her prowess in coaxing seedlings and all things green to flourish in the rocky Texas soil.
My sisters and I were thrilled when Mom planted a fruit and veggie garden along the back fence of our backyard. Every day after school, we hurried home to check on the progress of each plant. All grew beautifully under Mom’s care.
Buds and blossoms soon appeared. Fallen blossoms were replaced by tiny veggies and berries on all the plants, all except for the potato plants. The potato plants looked healthy, but no little potatoes appeared. When we asked “why?” Mom explained that the potatoes grew underground.
The following day after checking on the progress of the garden, we turned our attention to the potato plants. If the potatoes were growing underground, then it made perfect sense that we’d have to dig up the plant to see how the potatoes were growing.
And that’s what we did – every day. Unbeknownst to Mom, we’d dig up the entire potato plant, examine the potatoes, and then replace the plants back into the soil. The potatoes didn’t seem to be growing – they stayed oddly small. But we trusted that Mom knew what she was doing, we figured there would be a growth spurt before it was time to harvest the potatoes.
Finally, the big day arrived, Mom said it was time to dig up the potatoes! My sisters and I were so excited! Even though we had looked at the miniature potatoes the prior afternoon – we were sure that the potatoes had magically grown overnight into full-size potatoes. Mom carefully dug up the potatoes. We could immediately tell by the disappointed look on her face that no magic or miracle had occurred. The marble-sized potatoes were still the size of marbles – little marbles.
Our actions prompted by our impatience stunted the growth of what should have been full-size potatoes.
I wish I could say that was a lesson learned, never to be repeated. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Over the years, impatience has been a major factor in many of the poor decisions in my life.
Impatience with myself, with loved ones, with unloved ones, with strangers, with situations, with prayers whose answers are slow to come, with perceived opportunities too slow to materialize, and so many other things.
I suspect that you’ve dealt with impatience, as well.
It is usually after the fact that I can see that my impatience…
- Stunted the spiritual growth that I should have experienced during the situation
- Caused me to withhold an act of blessing or encouragement that I should have given to someone in need
- Prodded me to make an ill-advised decision
- Prompted me to speak unkind, hurtful words to a hurting heart rather than speaking life and love
- Created unnecessary stress, anxiety, and frustration inside of me
- And dishonored my LORD, the One Who has repeatedly demonstrated great patience with me.
Has your impatience ever taken you down a road that you would have preferred not to travel?
The Greek words that are translated “patience” in Scripture, carry the idea of steadfast endurance, constancy, longsuffering, forbearance, and fortitude. For the believer there is an underlying strength in patience because it is evidence that you are resting in faith that God is in control of the situation. No matter how large or how small, whether it is a troublesome person or a problematic situation, God is in control.
In His Word, God has a lot to say about the importance of “patience” in the life of His children:
- We are to wait with patience – Romans 8:25
- Patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit that is to be evidenced in the life of a believer – Galatians 5:22
- We are to bear one another with patience – Ephesians 4:2
- We are to find joy in patience – Colossians 1:11
- We are to “put on” patience (wear it like a garment; cover ourselves with it) – Colossians 3:12
- We are to be patient in trials – Romans 12:12; James 5:10
- Godly love is characterized by patience – 1 Corinthians 13:4
- We are to be patient with the weak and fainthearted – 1 Thessalonians 5:14
- We are to be patient as we establish (prepare) our hearts for the coming of the LORD – James 5:7, 8
- We are to be thankful for God’s patience towards us – 2 Peter 3:9, 15, 20; Romans 2:4
- Jesus Christ, our Great Example, perfectly displayed patience – 1 Timothy 1:16
“Patience” – Not a huge word. Eight letters. Four vowels and four consonants. Not difficult to pronounce, but so difficult to consistently produce in our lives.
It was a long time before we understood how our impatience had stalled the growth of the potatoes in Mom’s garden. And it was years after that, when in fits of laughter, my sisters and I confessed to Mom how our impatience and daily inspection of the potatoes had thwarted their efforts to grow. It’s a silly childhood story that still brings laughter today.
But it is no laughing matter, when our “impatience” thwarts the work of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives. It’s a sin that must be confessed and a prayer of thanksgiving that must be offered up acknowledging that it is God’s great patience with us and His amazing love for us that allow us to be called daughters of Almighty God.
Hear the Spirit-breathed words written by the author of Hebrews:
“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Hebrews 6:12 (NIV)
Patience, Sister, Patience.