Fruit: Patience

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23

"By their fruit you will recognize them." - Matthew 7:16a

There's a song that you kids who went to Sunday school probably learned that essentially recites the fruits of the Spirit.  It's a mnemonic device designed to help you remember the things that, as a Christian, we are supposed to be producing in ourselves.  I've touched on some of these before, but not in such a direct way.  I feel like this is a good time for a series though, and a good time to remind ourselves what we need to be producing.  I'm not going to be doing these in order, because that would be too predictable.  And because I haven't thought too much about the other posts yet.

Two recent events have reminded me just how valuable patience is, and for different reasons.  It's easy to forget because in our society today we're conditioned to be aggressive, grabbing what we want as quickly as we can.  Gamers are conditioned in the same way, with many challenges being about solving a puzzle in a limited amount of time, or shooting before the other guy does.  There are fights in World of Warcraft that are all about being faster than the boss, and fighting games in general have such a fast pace that in order to compete you have to have lightning reflexes.  Speed runs are seen as a demonstration of skill.  It seems like everything is based around being the fastest.

They've made a whole series of mediocre movies built around being fast.

That doesn't always work though.  For example, when dealing with an ingrown fingernail recently I went to town, trying to aggressively take care of it.  My thought process was, "Get this over and done with as quickly as possible, then move on."  I didn't do myself any favors by rushing, however.  I went to see the doctor yesterday and discovered that, had I simply been patient and a bit more careful, the pain and damage I inflicted upon my finger could likely have been avoided.  A little patience would have won the day.

The saying, "Good things come to those who wait" is one that's pretty universally recognized, right?  Even if we don't have a choice in the waiting, our attitude and perspective about it can make a world of difference.

Star Wars: The Old Republic was officially announced October 21st, 2008 - over three years ago.  I've been looking forward to this game since then.  To be honest, the excitement has been ramping up over the last few days as players are beginning to get early access to the game.  While everyone who's been looking forward to this game has been forced to be patient, waiting on Bioware to release it, not everyone's waited in the same way.  Some fans have been anxiously devouring every rumor and whisper about the game, throwing the full force of their emotions into it.  People have gotten upset because they had to wait, or took a look at the leaked materials because they just couldn't wait.  Their impatience has potentially ruined the game for them.  I'm not one of those people.  While I might enjoy learning some more about the game pre-launch, and enjoyed playing the beta for a little while, I'm content to wait until it's released.  I have early access, but I haven't played yet because I want to take my time, not rush through it.  I'm going to enjoy the game at my own pace.

Patience is quickly becoming a thing of the past, sadly.  One of the most notable pieces of evidence could easily be Black Friday, where people are in such a rush to be first in getting a deal that other people suffered for it.  Here's a list of the tragic things that have happened due to a lack of patience.

How can we cultivate a lifestyle of patience?  What do we need to change in our lives in order to produce this fruit of the Spirit?

There's an old joke that says, "Don't pray for patience.  God will make you wait."  It's funny, but it's true.  The more we are forced to wait - for a game, for a deal, for a spouse, whatever - the more experience we will have with being patient.  The more you wait, the more you can accept waiting.  Just remember that your attitude in the process of waiting is key.  Don't be like the Walmart shoppers who waited in line, only to go berserk and trample someone to death once the waiting was over.

Now, I'm not suggesting that we simply wait forever for something.  Patience can often be used as an excuse to cover up fear.  "I'm just waiting for the right One from God."  Is that legitimate patience waiting for a spouse, or is it fear of being rejected?  "I'm waiting until the economy improves."  Is that wisdom, waiting for a more financially stable period to pursue a new career, or is it fear of failure?  There are two words in ancient Greek that were used to describe time.  Chronos is what we most often think of, referring to sequential time.  This moment, then the next, and the next, and so on.  Kairos is the one we don't often hear, but is possibly more relevant to our lives.  Kairos refers to the right or opportune moment.  Don't let God's kairos pass you by because you think you are being patient.

What does patience look like in the games we play?  Considering that games are most often built around accomplishing something quickly, that's tough to say.  Maybe it means waiting to figure out the mechanics of a boss fight before sending your character in.  Maybe it means holding off on that sniper shot for another few seconds.  Just remember that, as in real life, you can't wait forever or nothing will get done.

What do you think of patience?  Are you a patient person?  If not, can you be?  What does that look like?  Share a story of being patient below.