IMPATIENCE

For some of us, a lifestyle in addiction grew out of our frustration with negative events in our life.  The absence of another’s care for our well-being made us feel vulnerable in our social life and in our community.  We became impatient and rebellious due to the way we were treated and either stuffed our feelings or became angry and exploded when things were not as we would have them. 

Don’t say, “I’ll get even with you for the wrong you did to me!”  Wait for the Lord, and he will make things right for you. (Proverbs 20:22 NIRV)

When we gave our will and life over to the care of God, we learned that God loved us so much that He gave His son Jesus to pay the debt we owed for our sin.  Our relationship with God was restored when we repented of our sin and we were adopted into His family as His beloved children.  The Bible tells us that God is love, and that love is patient and kind. As we experience the undeserved love of God for us, we will get rid of more and more of the bitterness and resentment that is fueling our impatience with others.

We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit.  We must not feel proud and boast about ourselves.  We must not cause trouble for each other or be jealous of each other.  (Galatians 5:25-26 ERV)

Pride also fuels our impatience.  We think others should respect us as we deserve and yet we often do not treat others with the respect they deserve.  We get impatient with those who are seeking to help us when they don’t work to our time schedule.  We get impatient when God does not immediately answer our prayers.  Then because we are tense and frustrated, we dwell on and begin to obsess with going back to our old ways.  We stress and complain because we consider our needs to be much more important than the needs of those around us.

God has a plan for us that is meaningful, purposeful and joyful.  Let’s get rid of our impatience and trust God’s perfect timing to act.  When we settle down, we will experience that God will do through us and for us, those things He has planned.

Prayer:  Loving God, Forgive my impatience with people and events.  Help me to see You at work in my life to fulfill those good and perfect plans You have for me.  Amen