The Long and Short of Patience

     My husband and I took a quick evening run to The Dollar Tree for last minute items for a friend's party. As I was backing out of the parking space, my view was blocked by a large van, so I carefully crept back to ensure no car or pedestrian was in my path. Just as I reached a straight line of sight, a person stood waiting for me to pull out. I gave her the "so sorry" sign with my hands (indicating I didn't know she had been waiting for me as I couldn't see her) and mouthed the word, "sorry." She rolled her eyes and changed her direction to walk clear around the van to get past me. I was only seconds away from getting out of her path.
     I thought about that woman and prayed for her. Her day probably had been harried and I was one more obstacle in her way of getting the day over and done with so she could head home. I could relate to her impatience and pondered why so many of us are short on patience these days.
     As I dug through a pile of Bible studies in my cupboard, I found one which had not been completed. You guessed it, one on patience! I jokingly noted to my husband, "I started this one, but probably lost the patience to complete it!"
     This study from Discovery House Publishers titled, What Does the Bible Say About Patience? began to give me insights into what may be leading us/me to lack "long-suffering" and be plagued by "eye rolling" behaviors. The writer, Dean Ohlman, begins by explaining that the Bible often refers to patience as "long-suffering" which indicates in Hebrew, "slow to anger" and refers to Exodus 34:6 where the Lord Himself notes that He is, "gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth" (pages 8-9).
    Ohlman, on page 9, makes the point that impatience can be thought of as "long" or "short." He continues with, "Patience means keeping your anger in check for a long time, enduring hardship for a long time, waiting a long time for goodness, truth, and righteousness to prevail, and striving a long time to reach perfection. Impatience is indicated by shortness--of temper, of endurance, of the will to wait for what is good and true and right, and of the capacity to persevere in the work of developing God-honoring character and behavior."
     Another Hebrew explanation that Ohlman gives is the antonym of patience used in the Bible, the word "weary" defined as to "try the patience of" another. He notes, "The ancient Israelites had a way of doing that with God, and their prophets found it necessary to remind them that Jehovah's longsuffering could eventually end and discipline would be meted out" (page 9). We all know what it feels like to be "weary" and lacking in patience. There are times when one more trial could send us "spiraling the drain" of life.
     So what do we do when that happens-when we are short on patience and long on frustration? We need to call on the One who is long-suffering with us and knows our very makeup and ask Him to fill us with His patience, His ability to be "slow to anger" and full of mercy, grace, goodness, and truth. Our perfection will not be complete until we meet our God and Savior in heaven, but on this earth, we can ask Christ Jesus to come into our lives and send the Holy Spirit of God to indwell us and guide us in the long and short term obstacles of life.

Isaiah 7:13

Then [Isaiah] said, "Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, 

but will you weary my God also?"