“Patience is a Virtue.”
We all know this because we have heard it many times. What is Patience? What is a Virtue? Why is Patience a Virtue? To understand the answers to those questions,
lets understand where the phrase originated.
We live in a day and age where it’s the norm to throw out
clichés. “Everything will work out in
due time.” “Let go and let God.” “Patience is a virtue.” The problem with clichés is not that they may
not be true, but that they are overly and improperly used more times than
none. A cliché is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic
work which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, or
effect, and even, to the point of being trite or irritating, especially when at
some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. So when clichés are used, the person
receiving is not receptive to the true meaning.
One cliché heard
throughout my life is the previously stated “Patience is a virtue”. Like other phrases that have turned into
clichés, this has derived from the Bible.
Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, who guides our actions
and path. A virtue is a positive trait
or quality deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle
and good moral being. Personal virtues
are characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness.
The opposite of virtue is vice.
Therefore Patience is a characteristic of the Holy Spirit, which also
means Patience is a Virtue of the Spirit.
King James
Version
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no
law.
New International
Version
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such
things there is no law.
Amplified Version
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His
presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even
temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence).
Against such things there is no law (that can bring a charge].
This is neither
about clichés nor the fact that many don’t know common phrases and sayings are
derived from the Bible. This is about
Patience. This is the same Patience
David spoke about in Psalms.
New International
Version
Psalm 37:7-9
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people
succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from
anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil. For those who are
evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
Before we dig
into these verses, allow me to digress and share quite the fitting story.
With today's economy there is a steady increase of the margins from Poor
to Upper Class. In return, the Middle
Class is being phased out and we are ending up with the Haves and Have
Nots. All across America we have seen
households that could not afford Healthcare by either not working a full time
job, or plainly not being able to afford the costs. Many of us take this for granted because we
tend to not have annual dentist appointments and physical and eye exams. For many of us who seem healthy on the
outside with no symptoms of health problems, it’s relatively easy to think we've wasted thousands of dollars on health insurance. We've grown accustomed to thinking, it’s
better to have it and not need it than not have it and need it. What would happen if you were a part of the
Poor Class? What would happen if you
were the head of your family, working overtime, and despite doing everything
“right”, was only able to keep your family head above water long enough for the
next pay check? What would happen if a
sudden unexpected life change occurred and you now find yourself utilizing the
health insurance that you deem a waste of money to help with the cost of your
child’s medical expenses? What would
happen when you find out that the health insurance was not willing to pay the
total costs of the procedure that will save your child’s life? This may seem like an unfortunate time of
events, but it was the case for Michael, a child who needed a heart
transplant. What do you do?
Naturally, when
you ask a Christian in church, they will say, “I would start praying.” Ask that same person outside of church two
days earlier, Friday evening, after a long day at work, one week after payday,
and you might get a different response.
It’s something about a pay week that makes you feel good knowing that
you are about to receive a deposit in your bank account. It also allows you to temporarily forget all
the bills that will be paid the following week, and want to purchase those
couple of things you don’t need. Now
that you have money, you BMF (Blow Money Fast).
As I stated, what would happen if this was the week after you got
paid? You’ve already paid a couple of
bills, spent money on those couple of items that you really don’t need and now
you receive a letter stating the health insurance, which you was counting on
paying the surgery costs, will no longer?
When placed into
extreme situations, we will either spiritually push closer to God, or react
from a physical cause and affect stance.
Children were never asked to be brought into this world, so as a Parent,
we have an immediate notion to protect our children at all costs. You ask any Parent if they would be willing
to give their own life for their child and without thinking the natural
consensus would be yes. With all the
unnecessary murders that occur in Chicago, Illinois, you would think organ
donation would be higher. Even if it is,
the untimely circumstance of Michael, created a push in the opposite direction
for Michael’s father. As one could
imagine, Michael’s father was overly patient on the outside, but frantic inside
as he counted down the seconds, minutes, hours, and days Michael had left.
The problem
Michael’s father faced was not that he was told there was nothing that could be
done, but that he believed there was nothing else that could be done. Point blank, without money, the Poor Class
cannot pay for necessary amenities that are available to the Middle and Upper
Classes. Credit? You need money to show good faith that you
can in fact have the means to pay later what you are consciously not paying for
upfront, or cannot pay for upfront.
Naturally, you would ask, why not call organizations, care providers,
and even doctors to see what all can be done?
As the saying goes, “Time is money, and money can afford lots of
time.” No one does favors for someone
who appears the favor can never be reciprocated at a later time. Due to this, no one was even willing to hear this
one of many thousands of problems concerning a healthcare procedure to save a
life. This was especially the case due
to the fact that waiting lists allocate usable organs to persons at the top of
the list. As stated, money can afford
lots of time, and if Michael’s father had money, a list would not be a problem. Faced with a problem, as any parents do,
Michael’s father tried to solve the problem rather than asking God for guidance
and support.
As with most
extreme circumstances, leaning on God as a first choice is easier said than
done. To have faith is something God
requires of us. This is because it’s so
easy to believe and understand what our minds understand to be a natural order
as opposed to believing that which we cannot understand. When we have faith to trust that God will
pull us through any circumstance we encounter, He will provide a peace of mind
as we grow.
Trusting his own abilities
and understanding the limitations of what he was told, Michael’s father
attempted one last resort. This resort
was to commit suicide, and use his heart to save the life of his son. As the trigger was pulled, which caused a
reaction as a jump of nerves, there was a click with no bang. For some reason, the safety was still on,
which gave just enough time for Michael’s father to get enough nerve to attempt
another pull of the trigger. Just before
one complete squeeze, Michael’s father got word that there was a match for a
heart transplant. Due to his lack of
faith, Michael’s father was charged, went to jail, and as a result, missed
important years of his son’s life. If
only he had faith that God would see them through, Michael’s father would have
saw the unraveling of a perfect path God setup.
Solomon told us not to lean on our own understandings.
New International
Version
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own undersanding;
When we do not
trust in God we inadvertently veer off an established path for one we
create. If create as you go is better
than planned, then the notion of a planned idea would be pointless. If Michael’s father realized what is
impossible for man is possible for God, he would have prayed as Paul said,
without ceasing.
King James
Version
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
If Michael’s
father patiently waited for the matching donor to be available, Michael would
have not only had a new heart, but he would have had his father next to him
during his recovery. The path Michael’s
father created was different than the path God outlined thus making the journey
much less ideal. Even though God is
merciful, He gave us free will to travel a path we create with our own
understandings.
New International
Version
Deuteronomy 4:31
For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or
forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.
It’s not enough
to have faith. Faith needs action to confirm the believing. If we simply have faith and act by trusting
God has a solution we will grow with each situation we encounter. As always these trials are designed to
equip us with the necessary tools we need for the next trial, but if we
divert from God’s path by acting on a way out of the circumstance, then we
directly stunt our spiritual growth.
Trust in God, have faith that God has a plan, and have patience to see
the path expose itself as you grow.
English Standard
Version
James 2:14
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have
works? Can that faith save him?
