“God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. I pray that he will help you live at peace with each other, as you follow Christ.” (CEV)

We cannot develop the Fruit of Patience without ripening the Fruit of Peace. For lack of patience stems from unrest of one stripe or another. We get tired and snap at others. We berate ourselves for making mistakes. Maybe it’s trying to stay calm and understanding when our kid draws on the wall with permanent markers. Impatience can be at this low level or escalate up to being totally beside ourselves with anger that we want to hurt someone or something (and maybe do!).

How do we mature in Patience to where we automatically handle these times as God wishes rather than fly off the handle? Think back to the verse about peace in the Sunday School song, “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart.” Most often it came out as the “peath that patheth understanding,” yet it is our answer. Having God’s peace in our hearts fosters patience.

How many times did Jesus have to correct the errant ways of the disciples? Poor Peter! Try as he might, he kept screwing up. Rather than getting mad and taking Peter out, leaving him and the other disciples distressed, Jesus kindly showed Peter the error of his ways. In this, Jesus’ reflected Prov. 15:18, “Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but those who are slow to anger calm contention.” (NSRV)

If you’re like me you’re thinking, “easier said than done.” And, it is, because we’ve had years of letting our impatience fly as it may. What we need to remember is that the Holy Spirit is within us and will help us gain control of our temper and replace our impatience with the calm understanding that Jesus embodied.

Over the next month, ask God to show you the way toward a better temperament by replacing impatience with love and the desire for peace for all.

Amen.

Karen Kaigler-Walker
President, UMW FUMCFW