I never should have agreed to write this article. As God began showing me Scriptures that revolve around patience, He also began giving me opportunities to practice it. I remember thinking, “I do not want to practice patience, I want to know what I should write about it.” But when it comes to spiritual formation, God is not satisfied with simply giving us information. Because information is useless if it’s not applied. Knowing that one cup of sugar goes into a batch of chocolate chip cookies is pointless if I leave out the sugar when I bake them. Then you and I would both be disappointed. God knows that if we are to become more like Jesus, we need many chances to put Scripture into action.

As I thought about patience, read about patience, and recognized the areas of my life where I was not patient, I noticed a few key areas where patience is required of us if we are to live like Jesus.

As I thought about patience, read about patience, and recognized the areas of my life where I was not patient, I noticed a few key areas where patience is required of us if we are to live like Jesus.

Patience With Others’ Flaws

”Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Ephesians 4:1-2 (NLT)

Paul, the author of Ephesians, knows that we can easily lose patience with someone when we focus on their faults. So he encourages us to “make allowance…because of your love.” The ESV translates it to “bear with one another.” In other words, give someone the benefit of the doubt. Then, if they continually make a mistake, remain humble and gentle in your attitude and response toward them.

Remember that whether it’s your co-worker, a family member or the person driving the car in front of you, they are God’s beloved child and you are called to love them like yourself. Rather than holding someone’s flaws over them, withholding respect, or responding in frustration, God calls us to a higher standard. He reminds us that our words are to be gentle, our attitude is to be humble, and our responses are to be motivated by compassion.

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV)

Patience With Those Who Are Still Learning

“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.“

Proverbs 15:18 (NIV)

I recently found myself getting frustrated with my kindergartener as he learned how to read. I know without thinking about it that the letters t-h-e spell “the.” For some reason, this took him forever to remember. We looked at the word one day and then he couldn’t remember what it was the next day and I began to lose patience with his inability to retain this information.

Why? What led to my impatience in the first place? Unmet expectations. However, my expectations were unfair. Instead of showing understanding and patience, I expected immediate retention and application. I expected perfection.

Yet, how many lessons in my own life have required repetition to learn?  How many mistakes have I made while learning? Even to this day, I struggle to show patience even though I learned the concept as a child. Before you and I lose our patience and respond with a reprimand because an expectation was not met, we need to consider the other person. Is our employee, co-worker, child, or friend learning a new skill, new concept, or new responsibility? Is a new believer wrestling with laying down their old life? Do we respond to the imperfection of others with the kindness and grace God shows us?

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.“

Romans 15:5-7 

Patience With Yourself

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,“

Romans 8:1  

For the same reasons we are called to be patient with others, we must be patient with ourselves. For the perfectionist out there—your flaws are forgivable. In fact, if you are a follower of Jesus, God no longer condemns you for your shortcomings. If He is patient and kind despite your mistakes, then you have the freedom to be patient and kind toward yourself too.

A large part of being patient with yourself revolves around self-talk. It’s not just about saying flattering things about how awesome you are as you gaze at your reflection in the mirror. It is about speaking truth. No, you are not perfect, but Jesus is and He loves you no matter what. He doesn’t flaunt your flaws, reject you for your mistakes, and abandon you for not mastering a lesson quickly enough.

May we see ourselves as God sees us and accept His love and patience toward us.

”The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. Psalms 103:8-10 

Patience With The Lord

”I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.“

Psalms 130:5-6 

When God’s timing feels slow, His answers feel too quiet and we wonder what He’s up to, we must practice patience. We must wait for the Lord.

When God’s timing feels slow, His answers feel too quiet and we wonder what He’s up to, we must practice patience. We must wait for the Lord. Psalm 130 describes waiting for God as something that we do with our whole being—our heart, soul, and mind.

How do we show patience with the Lord? By reminding ourselves of the truth when we’re tempted to question God’s character. By seeking God’s wisdom through prayer and fasting. By turning to Scripture when we’d rather turn away from the Lord.

A season of waiting tests our faith but when we remain steadfast, the Bible promises that we develop perseverance and hope (James 1:3, Romans 5:3-5). Looking back, the times when I had to wait patiently for God to move, were moments that solidified my walk with Jesus and taught me how to fully depend on Him. They made me—and my faith—stronger. My trust in Jesus grew deeper. If you are in a season of waiting, remember that God is not being mean-spirited and withholding something from you. He does not love you any less. He is not ignoring your prayers. He is inviting you to lean into Him, to be still, to be patient, to trust.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” Psalms 33:20-22 (NIV)