Impatience, the rebellious kick-starter

August 24, 2015.

Impatiens or impatience

Impatiens-such a great name for such a sweet flower, taking root and growing and spreading in a seemingly impatient manner! It is in a hurry to spread; wherever, whenever, however. Our own impatiens, pictured above, have brought the fourth fruit of the Spirit, (patience), into sharp relief against the backdrop of Paul's prayer for the church in Colossians 1:9,10, He prays that they might be

Ë filled with the knowledge of the will of God; with all spiritual wisdom and understanding

Ë walking in a manner worthy of the Lord

Ë pleasing the Lord in all respects

Ë bearing fruit in every good work

Ë increasing in the knowledge of God

As is so often the case, Paul’s prayer includes the grace that is necessary for such fulfillment:

“strengthened with all power according to His glorious might.(verse 11)

He gives an ultimate purpose:

for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience,”

and concludes with the antidote to impatience:

“joyously giving thanks to the Father

who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”(verse 12)

Being impatient goes directly against what Paul prays for the church.  Meaning, my impatience is in direction opposition to the will of God. It is in a hurry to spread; wherever, whenever, however. And, it must be admitted, it is often the precursor to unrighteous anger. A lack of patience basically underscores my own unwillingness to trust God in any given circumstance.  But, it seems that impatience is such a trifling sin; unimportant when set against the heavyweights of adultery or murder.  Or is it? 

Could it be that Adam and Eve were the very first impatient ones?  Allowing Satan to convince them that God was holding something back, they really didn’t need to obey Him or wait for Him to reveal more of Himself; they could take a shortcut, with impatience as the kick-starter.  By hoping to circumvent the will of God, they took matters into their own hands, wanting to be just like God.  They were unwilling to wait for the very One who created them, loved them, and has been patiently waiting ever since time began, for people to turn to Him.

“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness, and forbearance and patience,

not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”  (Romans 2:4)

There is a repentance that leads to salvation, and an ongoing repentance that leads to godliness. While the old saying is still true: “patience is a virtue,” I am thankful that it is a fruit of the Spirit, and one which my Saviour wants to see flourishing in the garden of my soul  ̴ ‘strengthened with all power according to His glorious might.’

I won’t be uprooting my impatiens any time soon, but I will be digging deep to tear out the insidious roots of impatience in my own heart, replacing it with a joyful and thankful spirit.