Being a father of a toddler and a baby, working full time, and working on my masters degree takes up a lot of my time. As a result, I asked myself this question while reading Life on the Vine, “How do I grow in patience when there are so many demands on my time?”
First things first – we need to alter our own understanding and perspective of time! Instead of seeing time as our taskmaster, we need to view time as a gift from God (Chapter 5, Location 1427).
We also need to change the way we view success. Productivity is not how success should be measured in our life, instead it should be the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit – in this case, patience (Chapter 5, Location 1451). As a result, we need to resist the temptation of measuring our day’s worth by what we have or have not accomplished. Instead of asking ourselves, “What have I accomplished?” We should ask ourselves, “Have I loved and responded to interruptions with sensitivity to what the Holy Spirit may be doing?”
We will also need to change the way we view and label our relationships and interaction with others. Instead of “investing” time in others, we should “devote” time to others, since investment expects a return, whereas devotion is to acknowledge the other’s worth. (Chapter 5, Location 1596). It’s a small change of semantics, but makes a huge difference!
That’s how we grow in patience QUICKLY – and yes…I know that phrase is a paradox.