Have you not often heard people say, “My greatest need is more patience”?
Possibly you feel just that way yourself. There is probably no lack that
so quickly and persistently manifests itself as this lack, which can not
exist without revealing itself, for in order to possess patience one must
employ it in his every-day life. Many people who do not understand its
real nature nor how to come into possession of it realize their need of
it.
Much of the teaching on the subject of patience proves to be ineffectual
because the teacher himself does not understand his subject. Sometimes it
is taught that all impatience comes from sin in the heart, and that if one
manifests a lack of patience he is not sanctified. Such teaching can come
only from a misapprehension of the facts. Sanctification is a wonderful
thing, and it does wonderful things for us. It purifies, softens, and
refines our whole nature; but it does not perfect our natural faculties,
and patience is one of these natural faculties, or qualities. There is an
impatience, however, that has its root in sin, and which is itself sinful.
The blood-cure reaches and eradicates this type. There is also a natural
impatience. How much we have of this depends largely upon our general
make-up. A lack of discrimination between these two kinds of impatience
often causes souls great distress. Before we teach on the subject, we
ought to be sure we have the distinction clearly drawn in our own minds.
Patience is a matter of temperament, of grace, and of cultivation. Some
people are patient by nature. They can take almost anything patiently.
Sometimes this is from natural calmness of disposition; sometimes it is
the result of lack of spirit. But in any case, such a person will be more
naturally patient when saved than will others who are of a different
temperament. Salvation does not destroy our natural temperaments.
Grace goes far towards supplying us with patience, but grace alone will
not always be sufficient; therefore patience must also be a thing of
cultivation. We are told to “add patience.” This means that not all our
patience comes by grace, but that some of it comes by works. In our sinful
lives we cultivate impatience by acting out our feelings of impatience.
The more we put our feelings into action, the more impatient we become.
When we are saved, we begin to act out patience, and the more we act it
out, the more patient we become in our nature.
Patience is largely a matter of the proper use of the will. The Bible does
not say, “Feel patient,” for our feelings are largely involuntary; but it
says, “Be patient,” that is, _act patiently_, for our actions are
voluntary. There are those who, when waiting for a train, can not sit
still. Such an individual walks up and down the platform and looks at his
watch again and again. He sits down and rises again, and turns this way
and that way. Another sits quietly and is unperturbed. It matters not to
him if he does have to wait a while. It is no task for him to be patient.
He is of a patient temperament. The other is quite the opposite. Because
of this, however, we can not say that one has more salvation than the
other. Both are feeling naturally. The difference is in their natures, in
their temperaments, and not in their hearts.
The fact that we are exhorted again and again to be patient signifies that
the acting out of patience is a matter of our wills. No matter how pure
our hearts are, we have tests of patience. A pure heart is not an
automatic heart, working out things independently of the will. When we
have a pure heart, our will is fully set to do right, and through our will
we regulate our actions so that they are right. Our feelings are
_influenced_ by the will, but are not _controlled_ by it. We can not help
feeling sad or joyous when there is an occasion that influences our
feelings. So we can not but feel impatient sometimes; that is, things will
try our patience, and we find that our feelings respond, in some degree at
least, to those circumstances. The degree of response will depend upon our
temperament, and the amount of grace we have, and how much we have
cultivated patience.
Do not forget that we are not told to feel patient, but to “be patient,”
though we should be careful to control our feelings so far as is possible
by the force of will. When an impatient feeling comes, we do one of two
things: we either yield to it and act it out, or we resist it and act
patiently. The latter is what we should always do. When we are full of joy
and everything is going smoothly, it is easy to believe that we have
plenty of patience; but in time of stress, of trial, when we are weak or
suffering in body, when we are weary or feel discouraged, then it is that
we most readily feel impatient. It is not that we have less patience at
such times, but that impatience more easily manifests itself. We should at
all times resist every feeling of impatience, yet we should not condemn
ourselves for feeling what we can not help feeling. We should not think
that we are not sanctified simply because we are not so patient as we
desire to be.
It is natural for a saved person to long for greater patience to endure
and suffer. We should do all in our power to grow in patience. “But how
shall I add patience?” you may ask. There are two things to do. First,
pray; and second, cultivate patience. Make it a practise day by day never
to yield to an impatient feeling. Let this attitude be manifested by word
and act. Reflect upon the patience of Jesus and study to know what is the
Scriptural ideal. When your patience is tried, deliberately take hold of
yourself by your will-power and make yourself act and speak as you know
you should. By following this rule you will become more and more patient.
This is the only possible way of adding patience.
We become in nature the reflection of our acts. Good acts repeated become
good habits. Good habits followed out make good character. Not that good
habits will save or take the place of grace, but they are equally
necessary in the formation of Christian character. “Let patience have her
perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”