Encouraging Words

Patience
I wanted to send you a word of encouragement. The word for this week is Patience.  Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines patience as “the suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness.”  While we all need patience sometimes we are hesitant to ask for it because we know that to get patience we have to go through trials. Romans 5.3 states, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; know that tribulation worketh patience.” 
Tribulation will bring about patience. But I wonder if the lack of patience can bring about tribulation? We only have to look around us to recognize that the world we live in is not very patient. People seem to be on a frantic pace to get somewhere. Where, well, that is a good question. I do not know where they are headed or what they are doing, but no one seems to be able to take the time to be still and know that He is God anymore.
We have all heard the saying that good things come to those who wait. I think wait has become a bad word in our society today. We do not want to wait for the red light or the person driving in front of us to move. We do not want to wait at the doctor’s office, bank, post office or even in line at the grocery store. And we certainly do not like to wait for our food. It is no wonder that so many never seem to hear from the Lord. They never waited long enough to get His answer.
Trials and tribulations in our lives will help to develop patience if we let them. However, I do believe that we cause some trials and tribulations to come because we are not patient. We fret, fear, grumble and complain. And we get irritated and aggravated. All of these can cause the very trials and tribulations that we are trying to avoid. Life has enough difficulties which will come our way. Let’s not add to them by being impatient.