Patience. We all need more of it…but don’t ask God for it! You know the only way we learn to have more patience…is by going through the trials. It could be small things – like waiting for that thing you ordered in the mail to finally arrive or for the long line in the grocery store or the post office to finally get moving!

Often, we must wait for things we are not sure will ever come to pass. That unanswered prayer that we have prayed over and over again…hoping, trusting that God will bring it about sooner rather than later. It is most often NOT the way we thought God would do it and sometimes not in the time frame we were asking.

But what we do IN the waiting….is what teaches us patience. Because we get to choose. Will I be impatient and worry, grumble and complain about this lack? or will I do all that I can and trust God to do what only He can? Because waiting is meant to be active. Maybe that’s why servers in restaurants are called ‘wait staff’?!

James 1:12 describes the reward for those who choose patience. “God bless those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” It sounds like God considers our patient endurance as very important. He promised the crown of life to those who love Him and patiently endure. Maybe we thank Him in advance for helping us to choose to be patient!