Have you ever really defined the phrase “Patience is a Virtue”?
Patience: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
Virtue: behavior showing high moral standards.
I like the below portion of an article I was reading on www.christianitytoday.com . . . . . . .
“When defined as “waiting without complaint,” patience might seem to be a morally insignificant trait. What’s so virtuous about not complaining? In itself, not complaining carries no particular virtue. Suppose a person awaits the arrival of a friend from out of town, and she spends the time happily reading or watching television. We wouldn’t say that, simply because she’s not complaining, she exhibits patience in this case. Something else must be required to make one’s lack of complaint virtuous. That something is discomfort. It’s because a circumstance is uncomfortable for someone that we find her refusal to complain remarkable and thus regard her as patient.
So to improve the initial definition above, to be patient is endure discomfort without complaint. This calls into play some other virtues, specifically, Self-control, Humility, and Generosity.”
I can definitely relate to having had a lot of patience in my life, as I am sure every single person has! I also know that having gone through that, I appreciate the things/situations that I have waited for…
I trust God even more
It makes me a stronger person.
It has made me realize that I cannot endure the waiting on my own, I NEED God’s help.
And you know what? In the end, (whether that be a day, a week, a year, 2 years, 10 years, etc.) It’s usually better than you ever thought it could be. I would like to share 2 examples in my life where waiting was tough but had an amazing outcome.
1st Example: I got married in 2007 in SoCal and was working full-time. It was difficult for me because at the time, I had envisioned not working full-time and just wanting to be a homemaker/wife/photographer. I prayed for 3 years non-stop that God would provide the opportunity for me not to work. Working full-time made me stressed, I wasn’t sleeping well, I was ALWAYS sick, I had no energy to cook my husband nice meals, no energy to hang out with friends like a normal 20 something year old should, it wasn’t the life I wanted.
Well….in God’s unique way of providing, my husband lost his job. YUP. Can you imagine what was going through MY HEAD?!?!?
“THIS wasn’t what I was praying for God!!”
I WAS upset. I did not have the “Patience as a Virtue” thing going on. I got sick even more because I now was the sole provider in our home and I put so much stress upon myself. That was very hard. But, my husband kept reminding me that there was something good to come out of this. I didn’t give up praying. It was hard to trust God but I tried and I did.
What came out of this? My husband found a job up in Northern California near my family!!! I ended up being a homemaker/wife/photographer. I ended up getting a part-time job and got to work from home. How’s that for answering prayers? 3 years later…sure…but it still happened!
2nd Example: It took almost 2 years before we were able to conceive our first child. It was so hard on me especially because I wanted a baby so bad. I wanted to give birth to my first child before I was 30. Since it took so long, I thought perhaps my body wasn’t made to do it. For those who have not experience that…it is one of the hardest things as a woman to think that she cannot have a child.
It is devastating.
I completely understand the loss, the embarrassment, the disappointment, the what’s wrong with me?!
I started looking into adoption and telling my husband about having that option. He had confidence that we were going to have a child through me so he wasn’t that interested in the adoption. He kept giving me hope. 🙂 (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this man?!??!)
I prayed every day, I begged God through tears.
Well…in God’s unique way of providing, my husband lost his job. YUP. Can you imagine what was going through MY HEAD?!?!?!
“How can we keep trying to have a baby NOW?!?!?!”
I didn’t have a full-time job like I did last time and there was no way we can try having a baby now (DejaVu???) hahaha!! Well, guess what….
I GOT PREGNANT!
I was in complete SHOCK but at the same time I felt so much peace, happiness, and I knew again that God was providing in His own way. My husband and I actually joked the day he lost his job that “Hey, wouldn’t it be funny if we got pregnant now with no job, no medical insurance, living in a studio that didn’t allow kids, etc. It seemed something God would do.” Little did we know we were RIGHT.
By the time I was about 5-6 months pregnant, we found a 1 1/2 bedroom duplex, my husband found a full-time job within weeks after we moved into the duplex, and we had a precious baby boy and I gave birth at 29 years old (I say that shows that God has some humor in Him). 3 months later my sister had her baby. Now the cousins are the same age and loving each other! AND we are now expecting our 2nd child who will be here in 3 months!.
Those are just two examples of having to wait for the right timing…I wouldn’t say I exactly had the “Patience is a Virtue” motto going on but I learned big time that waiting was God’s way of preparing us for something better. I share those with you because I want you to see that as hard it is to have patience and having the temptation of giving up, DON’T. Because GOD WILL PROVIDE. He does and He will.
What’s on our waiting agenda now? (A.K.A. My Prayer Requests)
We’ve had our eye on this house in our neighborhood for about a year now and we just recently found out it is officially available to buy. We get to see the inside of it tomorrow!! I am praying SO HARD that the inside is in good condition and that the seller will find favor in us that he will accept our low offer. It’s a little white 2 bedroom house, with a big yard, a garage, it’s in a quiet neighborhood (just across from us), and in my eyes I see that it’s perfect because it’s walking distant to stores. There’s going to be a time, and it may come sooner than later, that I will not be able to drive. I want to still be able to have the freedom to walk to places/stores with my kids and I cant think of a better location than this home. THAT is why I want it SO BAD. I know that God knows what is best. We’ve waited a long time for this opportunity. Now that the time has come, I am so nervous!!
The other thing I am waiting on and trusting God is healing of my eyes. My eyes haven’t really gotten worse (it just feels like it because I have been so tired during this pregnancy). I know that I just need to take one step at a time. Yesterday a family friend of mine who is also a photographer, posted a link to a story of a Legally Blind Man who is a photographer. After reading and watching this story, it was VERY encouraging to me. If my eyes become this bad, I can still pursue my love for photography! I will just adapt some different ways to go about it. I won’t give up.
I can honestly say now that as I wait on these two current major things in my life…it gets a little more easier to wait and trust God that HE has big plans and HE knows what is best for all of us and it will be in HIS TIMING. It’s not an easy place to be…but it can happen.
Isaiah 40:31
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”
Such an encouraging verse to remind ourselves. 🙂
May you find encouragement while you wait on whatever you are waiting on right now, that you will not give up. Trust that God has a plan and that He WILL Provide.
Much Love,