Being Patient and Slow to Anger “For Such a Time as This”

Do you believe patience makes us better people and our community a better place? Situations we deal with patiently daily - individually and collectively - pleases God , who is patient with us. Proof is in the pudding (scriptures), when we are slow to anger and endure patiently under pressures of life, we will be better, not bitter and belligerent! May this story give peace, promise, and reasons to practice patience wherever we go and to whom we meet that stirs up strife and tests our patience.

Proverbs 14:29 get to the point with patience. “He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

Proverbs 15:18 follows suite. “A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.”

James 1:19-20 is dear to my heart. “ Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

Holding up under the pressures of life, while waiting on the Lord for guidance is another part of patience that requires prayer and practice. Pondering situations in a Pandemic that kept us socially distanced, masked, and in wonder: ‘will we gather to sing and worship in our churches, will toilet paper become worth its weight in gold, will we do as we believe or as we are told’?

John wrote about an elderly man who had paralysis and lay by the pool at Bethesda for thirty eight years waiting for a miracle of healing. What patience! Jesus knew the man’s story; yet, He asked him, “Wilt thou be made whole”?

The man had patiently waited for someone to help put him into the healing waters. His patience paid off the day he met the man who walked on water and turned water into wine. Jesus said,

“RIse, take up thy bed, and walk.” And he did!

Another aspect of patience is taking a long time to become angry - to overheat! Being quick to become angry is easy while living in a land where love and respect for the Lord wanes and rampant sin causes ‘we the people’ to worry! The Bible story of David - a man after God’s own heart - and King Saul -a man angry and jealous of David - shows the heartache and horrible things that happen when anger rears its ugly head.

David’s son, Solomon, became King after his King David died. Solomon’s wisdom made him a favorite - like his father, David, was from shepherd fields, to slaying a giant that mocked God, to favor with God and people, to hiding out in caves from King Saul, to winning wars, to becoming King, to losing patience and giving in to sinful desires, to grieving the loss of a son and going forth in faith, to living a lifetime being a ‘man after God’s own heart’! David proved the power of patience as he waited for Saul to die before pursuing the crown that was rightfully his long before he was named King David! Being patient may not be easy to do, but it shows faith and fortitude lives within when we do what we know ‘in God’s sight’ is right and good to do!

Not all of our stories are the same, yet we are all reminded to respond to life’s situations with patience, like the man who was lame. And yes, being patient can make us better people living in a better place. Showing patience positively affects our relationships and brings joy to our lives and our communities. When we truly trust God and have a passion to treat others the way HE treats us, we will learn -day by day- to be slow to anger and deal with life's pressures in ways that are good and right... in His sight!