Patience.
I’ve had to learn patience in a way I never thought I would.
Patience is often mistaken for waiting.
Patience is an action; a conscious choice that we have to make. It isn’t easy.
In James, the Bible is clear that we should act on our faith, but also exercise patience.
”Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
James 1:22
“But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”
James 1:25
”Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.“
James 5:7
Act, but with patience.
Sometimes, we have to delay our gratification, or give up our gratification altogether.
In 2023, God answered prayers I have been sending for years.
It wasn’t on my timeline, but His.
Looking back, the Lord has never left my patience unrequited, not that I’ve deserved it or been anywhere close to righteous or dutiful enough.
He chose timing that allowed me to grow in other ways, and gave me things I needed that I hadn’t understood.
One of them was patience.
In 2024, I’m praying for greater patience, and a firmer resolve to put my plans on the back burner and trust His. I’m praying for the strength of character to defeat my pride and remain devoted to His plan instead of my own.
I have a feeling if I do that, 2024 will be all it can be.
”I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.“
Romans 8:18
Amen.
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