‘Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with...patience.’ Colossians 3:12

Patience is a character trait that God highly values. He declares himself to be patient with human beings, ‘not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’ In the Colossians verse above, the Bible urges us to put on patience the way we put on clothing. People do not usually walk out in public without clothing – Why then do most of us behave as if we have left our patience hanging in our closet?

Minor issues irritate us and make us angry and impatient with other people. The pressures of deadlines at work, poor work/life balance, competition with colleagues, cultural differences, lack of budget, a computer that boots up or loads data slowly, interruptions at work, office space issues, our own sense of importance and other similar issues, all collude in fighting the maturing of patience in our lives. Sadly, there is even a view that sees patience as a situational virtue. Bill Mcglashen says, ‘patience is something you admire in the driver behind you, but not in the one ahead.’

Patience will help us have a better quality of life but it is not easy to develop. We must be highly motivated to pursue it. The Bible praises patience as a fruit of the Holy Spirit and compares it to wisdom. The Dutch have a saying, ‘an ounce of patience is worth a pound of brains.’

How can we grow in patience? One, we must engage our will and be determined to grow in patience. A definition of patience is the active persistence to do what is right in the face of trials. Former US President, Benjamin Franklin said, ‘genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience.’ Two, we must identify our triggers to impatience and ask God daily to keep us from firing off. Someone once said, ‘patience is counting down without blasting off.’ Finally, we should remember to put on the garment of patience daily in the same way we remember to put on our clothes.