Responding to Patience

Patience is defined as the ability to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting upset. I think we all have different amounts of patience. Some of us have a lot, and some of us, not so much. It also may depend on the situation at hand and the degree of patience.

As a farmer, we need to have a lot of patience. We rely on the weather constantly and many other things as well. For instance, the weather we have had this April and into the first part of May has been extremely challenging, especially for those calving.  The verse I like to think of is James 5:7 “Consider the farmer who patiently waits for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.”

According to the Bible, patience is not a personality trait, it is our reactions to situations. God wants us to respond with self-control and grace. The verse in Galatians 5:22 says, “But the holy spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives; love, joy, peace, and patience.” Fruit doesn’t grow overnight, just as patience doesn’t happen overnight, but patience will grow if we continue to seek the Lord and let the holy spirit fill us. 

We need to remember that how we respond will help us grow patience. Every situation will eventually change. 

Contributed by Carrie Guthmiller