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Patience: My Problem with God
I have a confession to make. I am very impatient. For example, please don’t pull out in front of me while driving on the road, then slow down. And whatever else you do, please, at the grocery checkout counter, do not take out your checkbook to pay the bill. I struggle with biblical commands in Galatians 5 to exhibit patience as the fruit of The Spirit or my responsibility to exhibit patient endurance during suffering, according to 1 Peter 2.
My real problem is that as much as I believe in God’s sovereignty, I don’t always like it. I struggle with God’s plans, His wisdom, His ways, His schedule, His will for my life. In essence, my problem with patience is my problem with God. But what is ironic is how much God has been patient with me! Romans 2 says God has exhibited kindness, forbearance, and patience toward me. Jesus tells the story of the merciful, patient king in Matthew 18 who forgave his servant. But often, I find myself in the second half of that story where the one who is forgiven does not forgive another who owes him. Colossians 3 says that God’s forgiveness of my sin should result in me showing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience toward others.
Gordon Ramsay may be a master chef, but he greatly overrates his own expertise in helping struggling businesses recover. The tragedy is that no one wins in these encounters, and he demonstrates the delusions that emerge from his arrogance.
When we are children, we delight in running around, making forts out of huge cardboard boxes, and playing hide-and-seek. In ourteen-age years, some of us struggle with puberty and hate the world and prefer to drive a car than ride our bicycles. And then there are all those years when we simply pursue our lives, either investing our time and energy in the routine demands of living and in staying well and healthy—or not.
