I’m not a patient person. No judgment. Just saying. Knowing, however, that patience is indeed a virtue I’ve been praying specifically for patience. And this prayer has truly been an object lesson in “careful what you pray for, you just may get it”.

I don’t know if I thought God would have waved a “magic wand” and voila, I’d be patient; or if He’d make it happen through osmosis. After all, He’s God—He does big things like keeping planets from colliding and seas from rolling beyond shores—surely He can drop a wee bit of ‘patience dust’ and I’d be His most virtuously patient daughter.

Nah! He didn’t.

What He’s been doing instead is creating opportunities for me to exercise patience. At first I didn’t get it. And being the Master Teacher that He is, when I botch an opportunity—you know, like whining my way through a situation or hurriedly trying to fix what is not in my power or authority to fix—He’d simply repeat. Finally I caught on. Yes, not only must we be careful what we ask for ‘cause we just may get it. We also must be discerning to know when the “it” is being gotten.

One core and critical element to developing patience—which actually is intrinsic to the nature of God (called “fruit of the Spirit”)—is waiting. But the virtue of patience is not only gained through mastering the art of waiting, it’s also mastering how you wait. To wait in peace.

Peace. To be still. To be still and know. To be still and know that God is. To be still and know that God is God. To be still and wait. To be still and wait patiently for God. To be still and wait patiently for God while not fretting (Psalm 46:10 & 37:7).

He’s God in every situation, every circumstance, and everything I will face. Being still is not stand-still-do -nothing. It’s instead a stop-trying-to-control-things-and-people//stop-worrying//find-contentment//getting-to-know process while you wait.

Finding peace in the moments of waiting—which can be seconds, months or years depending on the situation you’re facing—is the key in order for The Most High God to build patience into our core/into the essence of who we are. It’s a process of recreating. And that takes time.

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In creative solidarity, Dee