Growing in Patience
Introduction
When I was young, I thought I was a very patient person. I was open to new experiences and different personalities. I felt that I was tolerant of many situations. Then I grew up. I got a job. I got married. I had children. I grappled with illness. I lost dear relatives and friends. I gained an aging parent. In other words, life happened—maybe much like your own.
Now, I think I may be one of the most impatient people in the world! I grumble and gripe and occasionally snap. I wonder: Did I have a certain quota of patience and it all got used up? Or can I still somehow learn to tap into that reserve of patience I once felt would never run out?
And where is God in all of this? The Bible tells us: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Those are wise and hopeful words for those short on patience, but how do we put them into practice?
In researching and writing this book about patience (eminently qualified as I now am!), I have been able to remind myself of the pitfalls of impatience—as well as to learn more positive, productive, and spiritual ways to deal with it. I hope that reading this book will do the same for you. May it be one of the many vehicles God uses in your life to help you to become more peaceful, grace-filled, content, and patient!
From the mundane—heavy traffic, bad service, annoying people—to the serious—financial losses, family problems, serious illness—life seems to breed impatience.
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