This is the final post describing spiritual practices that help us to center our lives on Jesus while transforming us into his likeness.
I took a seminary course from psychology professor Dr. Archibald Hart, on the minister’s personal growth. Type A personalities, he said in a lecture, are driven by achievement and competitiveness. These people find delays and waiting unbearable, can be easily angered, and have a low tolerance for frustration and waiting. I looked around the classroom, wondering if he aimed his instruction directly at me.
Our fast-paced society, where information is readily available in the palm of our hands, conditions us to expect gratification immediately. Not everything in life, though, happens as quickly or efficiently as we might like. It takes time to heal from injury or to know how effectively a treatment is working. I might not hear back from a job or school application as soon as I expect. Reconciliation in a broken relationship is not solely in my control or timing.
Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) that’s cultivated by practicing God’s presence moment by moment. Doing this in frustrating circumstances attunes us to God’s timing and releases control to him. Each day provides us plenty of opportunities to learn to wait while facing the inevitable frustrations of life with faith and confidence.
Dr. Hart suggested increasing one’s “frustration tolerance” by choosing situations where you must wait. Some ideas include driving in the slow lane, standing in the longer line, taking a more scenic route, eating more slowly, or listening attentively before responding to someone in conversation.
I thought about the Old Testament patriarch, Joseph. While in jail in Egypt for an act he was innocent of, he helped the ruler’s chief cupbearer get out of prison; he only asked that the cupbearer talk to the ruler about Joseph’s imprisonment. Sadly, two years passed before the cupbearer mentioned Joseph’s plight to Pharaoh, the ruler (Genesis 40:23-41:1). In total, 13 years passed from the time Joseph was thrown into a cistern by his jealous brothers until he was out of jail and given a high government position. His active waiting on God formed his character and prepared him to serve.
While you’re waiting, practice letting go of your need for control. Memorize and meditate on Romans 8:25: ‘If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Notice what comes up when you wait and talk to God about what you’re waiting for. Ask God to give you a more patient heart and mind; actively and expectantly look to God for resolution in his time. Accept his way and will.
Howard Chang serves as a Team Leader in InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries Pacific Area. He oversees ministries in the Central Valley, including the graduate student and faculty groups at UC Davis. Howard is an ordained minister who served in churches for over 20 years and holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Download free short Bible studies from the NCF website that can help you grow spiritually. Topics include endurance, a God-ward mindset, hope in suffering, spiritual resilience, and many others.
