When considering the concept of patience, the words “slow,” “calm,” and “accepting” quickly come to mind. We are drawn to consider more deeply because clearly there is more – an underlying aspect of patience that these immediate words miss entirely. Ultimately, God is at the root of patience, so this deeper aspect must be revealed slowly, as we are capable of understanding.
Patience is based on deep trust in God. More than simply a wilful or virtuous act, patience is a posture of heart that embraces the conviction that God’s timing is far more important than my own. As Teilhard de Chardin reminds us: “Above all, trust in the slow work of God.” When we trust God’s perfect timing, our inner peace remains intact, even when confronted with delays or a slow pace of action or progress. We remember that God is in control, and God knows what he is doing.
Patience is an attitude of mind characterised by poise, inner calmness, and quiet endurance, especially in the face of trying conditions. Patience has its foundation in faith, and it is perfected only in those who have unwavering faith in God. “The proving of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:3).
We must realize that God’s “slow work” is where his masterpieces lie, for time is often an ally where creation is concerned. The world in all its magnificence surely takes time for my human brain to behold, so God reveals its intricacies slowly. God invites us to embrace this virtue of patience, giving me numerous opportunities to practice it. When we follow God’s lead, at God’s pace, the pay off is huge: experiencing God’s ever deepening nearness.
Every world religion sees patience as a way to know God. That gives us an incentive to practice it. While frustration or impatience focuses on externals, patience is a drawing inwards towards a greater wisdom. Further, patience lets you intuit the situation to get a larger, more loving view to determine right action. Patience, a gift when given or received, moves within reach when you can read someone’s deeper motives.
Frustration is not the key to any door. Patience is a lifelong spiritual practice as well as a way to find emotional freedom. Patience doesn’t mean passivity or resignation, but power. It’s an emotionally freeing practice of waiting, watching, and knowing when to act. It’s an active state, a choice to hold tight until intuition says, “Make your move.” It means waiting your turn, knowing your turn will come. Once you have gone all out toward a goal, it entails trusting the flow, knowing when to let the soup boil.
Gandhiji once wrote, “To lose patience is to lose the battle”. Even though it’s a simple line, the depth and meaning of the same in our lives have got more prominence than many other qualities. We learn that lesson while we go through some of the difficult and worst periods of our lives.
Responding to situations in a considered, reflective manner brings out the best in us, and reacting to situations in a hasty “let’s get it over with” approach invariably brings out the worst in us. Impatience rarely gets us the results we want. It just forces its way forward with an “I know best” attitude that tangles us up in irritation and disappointment. We must remember always the words of philosopher, Aristotle: “patience is bitter, but it’s fruit is sweet”.
