Waiting....

I have to say that I am definitely experienced in the art of patience. I do not say that in a proud way, nor do I say that in a way that necessitates addition experience. I am patient because I must be, not because I choose to be. I am more patient than some and less patient than others. When it comes to the things and people in life that I am passionate about, it is twenty times harder to be patient than if it is something that I care very little about. All of this being said, I read a very interesting blog post today on Bible.org written by Bob Deffinbaugh. The article was entitled "Waiting on the Lord." It definitely caught my eye.
Bob speaks of passages from 2 Samuel 1 that tell the story of David. The post is definitely worth a read but I won't reiterate the details as one particular part was the part that caught my eye (though I would recommend reading it). Toward the end of the article, he actually covers SOME of the cases in which God allows a waiting period
(1) Abraham and Sarai promised a son and then waiting 25 years to get him.
(2) The long wait from Noah being told about the flood until the actual flood occurred.
(3) Jacob waiting 14 years for the wife he wanted.
(4)Joseph waiting to see his friends and family
(5) The Israelites waiting 430 years before making it into the Promised Land
For the sake of my writing, I'll concentrate just on these (though there are more listed). As I actually read through these stories again, I noticed something. In all of these cases, God brought about His promise no matter what. The difference was more in the activities that took place during the waiting. Some of them were more patient than others. Some used their time wisely (at the risk of sounding like a third grade teacher) and others wasted their time being angry and frustrated. The fact is that the promise occurred no matter what the reaction was but those that were patient and endured scrutiny during that time seemed (in my opinion) to enjoy the blessing significantly more and longer.
Living in a society of fast food, quick check out lanes at Walmart, and high speed internet, I sometimes forget that patience is actually a virtue. A virtue is defined as "moral excellence and righteousness." In short, virtues have to be worked at and the key way to work towards those is prayer and drawing closer in your relationship with Christ. Patience is something that MUST be worked at whether you are going through a big trial or a small one. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit but that doesn't mean that there is no work involved. You have to draw yourself closer to Christ through prayer and relationship with Him in order to truly live in the Spirit. You have to work at it. Sometimes you're going to have to grit your teeth and exercise that patient when you least desire to (an example of self-control). This helps to build your patience, too, but ultimately growing closer to Christ and letting Him work in you is where the patience will come from. But I digress....
In my own personal experiences, currently, I am practicing the art of distraction. When I start to panic or get too worked up over the things that are happening in my life that I can't control, I pray. When I start to overthink things, I pray. When I start feeling increasingly impatient, I pray. When people start criticizing and character assassinating, I pray. Quite honestly, I spend a good portion of every day praying to my Abba. I pray for God to lead me to hold my tongue when I need to. I pray for God to help me through things. I pray and pray and pray.